Abstract
Patient engagement is a comprehensive approach to health care where the physician inspires confidence in the patient to be involved in their own care. Most research studies of patient engagement in total joint arthroplasty (TJA) have come in the past 5 years (2015-2020), with no reviews investigating the different patient engagement methods in TJA. The primary purpose of this review is to examine patient engagement methods in TJA. The search identified 31 studies aimed at patient engagement methods in TJA. Based on our review, the conclusions therein strongly suggest that patient engagement methods in TJA demonstrate benefits throughout care delivery through tools focused on promoting involvement in decision making and accessible care delivery (eg, virtual rehabilitation, remote monitoring). Future work should understand the influence of social determinants on patient involvement in care, and overall cost (or savings) of engagement methods to patients and society.
Introduction
While the demand for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has been increasing, there are growing concerns around postoperative variation in outcomes and health care costs.1-3 Applying surgery to an appropriate clinical setting remains challenging, as there is no consensus on TJA candidacy. For example, one prior study found a third of total knee arthroplasty surgeries were deemed to be inappropriate. 4
Many in orthopedic surgery, like other fields in medicine, are working towards a transformation where patients are at the center of the health care team. Patient engagement should be a comprehensive approach to health care where the physician inspires confidence in the patient to be involved in his or her own care. Greater involvement of patients in their care (ie, patient activation) promotes met expectations and alignment of care with their preferences and values. This may help guide care teams by shifting patients who will not gain meaningful improvement from surgery to nonoperative management. For surgical candidates, patient engagement may improve preoperative risk factor optimization (eg, weight loss or smoking cessation) and postoperative adherence (eg, completing physical therapy).
Most research studies of patient engagement in TJA have come in the last 5 years (2015-2020), with no reviews investigating the different patient engagement methods in TJA. The primary purpose of this review is to examine patient engagement methods in TJA.
Materials and Methods
Literature Search
A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. The following MeSH terms and keywords were used to search the titles of published literature: “total hip arthroplasty,” “total knee arthroplasty,” “total joint,” “knee prosthesis,” “hip prosthesis,” “surgery,” “total hip replacement,” “total knee replacement,” “partial/unicompartmental,” “hip resurfacing,” “patient involvement,” “shared decision making” “patient engagement,” “patient experience,” “patient participation” “decision aid,” “technology,” “ mobile application,” and “media” in combination with the “AND” or “OR” Boolean operators. Additionally, reference lists of relevant studies were scrutinized. Data extraction included study data, study design, type of engagement, and study conclusions.
Inclusion criteria were (i) studies published between 2000 and August 2020, (ii) English language publications and complete articles from peer-reviewed journals, and (iii) orthopedic patients under consideration for total hip and total knee arthroplasty. Exclusion criteria were (i) protocols established for future research (ii) studies involved in solely the development of patient engagement method, rather than their evaluation, and (iii) and case studies.
Data Acquisition
The initial query yielded 2534 articles. The screening was centered around whether the study evaluated a patient engagement method. Two reviewers (AA and DB) working independently and in duplicate screened all titles and abstracts; except for records in which both reviewers agreed to exclude, all other records were retrieved in full text. These reviewers screened full-text articles using the same procedure with acceptable reproducibility for all decisions. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. Applying inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in 31 manuscripts included for analysis. Engagement methods were categorized as those focused on decision making (decision aids), and engagement methods which utilized technological support (virtual physical therapy/remote education, care pathway management, remote monitoring).
Analysis included collection of publication year, engagement method, care delivery phase (clinic visit [decision making], follow-up [remote monitoring, nonoperative management], or postoperative), study design, relevant results/outcomes of the study, and reported conflict of interest. A review of each study's reference lists was performed but did not result in any additional articles being considered for our investigation (Figure 1).

Diagram depicting the selection process for article inclusion.
Results
The search identified 31 studies aimed at patient engagement methods in TJA (Table 1).
Overview of All Studies Included in Review.
Engagement Focused on Decision Making
We found 19 engagement methods focused on decision making (decision aids, n = 19). Evaluation of engagement focused on decision making was centered around knowledge of condition, treatment preferences, decision quality, and surgical rate. Tools were primarily utilized preoperatively to inform shared decision making. The application of decision aids was found to improve patient knowledge scores, as well as increase patient confidence in knowing what questions to ask their doctors.9,20,21,34 Stacey et al 33 found that patients exposed to a decision aid made an informed choice that is consistent with their values (56.4% vs 25.0%; P < .001).
Overall, authors of the various studies published on patient-focused engagement tools have mostly reported increased patient knowledge, higher confidence, a greater possibility of making an informed treatment decision that aligns with their goals, values, and preferences (Table 1 expands on the conclusions of each study).
Engagement Focused on Technological Support
We found 12 engagement methods which utilize technological support (virtual physical therapy/remote education [n = 5], care pathway management [n = 4], remote monitoring [n = 3]). Themes of engagement methods focused on technology were functional prerehabilitation/rehabilitation, remote monitoring of patients, educational media, and patient support through care pathway management. Engagement through technological tools was predominantly used postoperatively or to follow-up. Authors of prior studies have reported it may offer a platform to support patient participation in their recovery after TJA.5,13-15,17 Virtual rehabilitation in one prior study led to better health outcomes and reduced cost burden after TJA. Further, technology-enabled patient engagement solutions may progress quality assessments such as length of stay and rates of reoperation within 60 days. 13
Overall, authors of the various studies have mostly reported lower costs, shorter length of stays, and higher patient satisfaction and experience (Table 1 expands on the relevant results and outcomes of each study).
Discussion
Slover et al 36 previously noted that, despite the increased attention paid to patient engagement methods, few studies have been directly focused on its impact on TJA. Our review of the past 20 years found that most of the applications of patient engagement methods in TJA have come in the last 5 years (2015-2020), with authors of the various studies reporting a number of benefits (eg, patient-reported outcomes, patient experience and satisfaction, decision-related outcomes, eg, quality, patient involvement, treatment concordance) to all stakeholders with respect to TJA.
Engagement methods focused on decision making have been effective in promoting patient-centered care in TJA. For example, patients exposed to a decision aid made an informed choice that is consistent with their values. 33 This is vital, as treatment decisions tailored to the patient's preferences (patient-centered) may lead to better health outcomes and improved experience (higher satisfaction and met expectations).20,37 Promising work in artificial intelligence can enhance decision making with generated personalized predictions using prior patient reported outcome measures, patient clinical risk factors, and psychosocial risk factors (depression, patient activation).38-40 Personalized predictions provide an additional metric to engage patients, and guide discussions about surgical appropriateness and postoperative expectations. Importantly, engagement methods focused on decision making can be introduced into the clinical setting without impacting efficiency of the office visits, which benefits all stakeholders.9,30,34
The use of technology (eg, mobile applications or telemonitoring) to enhance patient engagement may play a critical role during various phases of care delivery (follow-up, postoperative). Authors of prior studies have reported it may offer a platform to involve patients remotely and support participation (ie, increased activation) in their recovery after TJA.5,13-15,17 Virtual rehabilitation may provide a high-value alternative for patients with disability or lack of transportation. 5 Further, engagement methods utilizing technology may improve quality measures such as length of stay and rates of reoperation within 60 days. 13 In addition, mobile and online tools may be used to connect patients with accurate, accessible health information regarding their postoperative course. This may prevent misinterpretation of symptoms. Authors of several studies report this method of engagement may promote a healthy mindset and positive recovery environment, as well as reduce follow-up calls.14,15,41 Future work should focus on clear clinical guidelines for the indications of a mobile app to engage patients, as well as expansion of mobile feedback mechanism from patients.
Our study was not without limitations. Heterogeneity of the outcome measures and variation in patient engagement methods may limit generalizability. Further, differences in patient characteristics, and geographic settings made it difficult to evaluate and compare papers. However, our findings show that the magnitude of the findings might differ between papers, but the specific associations were mostly aligned between studies.
Conclusions
Based on our review of 31 studies, the conclusions therein strongly suggest that patient engagement methods in TJA demonstrate benefits throughout care delivery. We encourage orthopedic surgeons to continue researching the effect of patient engagement through tools focused on promoting involvement in decision making and accessible care delivery (eg, virtual rehabilitation, remote monitoring). Future work should understand the influence of social determinants on patient involvement in care, and overall cost (or savings) of engagement methods to patients and society.42,43
Footnotes
Ethical Review Committee Statement
Institutional Review Board approval is not required.
Statement of Human and Animal Rights
All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. 5
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was not obtained as no individual participants were included in the study.
Disclosures
Aaron Alokozai and Dr Linsen Samuel have nothing to disclose. Dr David Bernstein reports grants from AOFAS, grants from AOA, outside the submitted work. Dr Atul Kamath reports personal fees and other from Zimmer Biomet, personal fees from DePuy Synthes, personal fees and other from Corin, personal fees from Heraeus Medical, personal fees and other from Pacira Pharmaceuticals, other from Johnson & Johnson, other from Procter & Gamble, personal fees from Innomed, other from AAOS, other from AAHKS, other from BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, outside the submitted work.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: AA and LTS have nothing to disclose. DNB discloses the following: Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research: Editorial or governing board; Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School: Employee Journal of Orthopedic Experience & Innovation: Editorial or Governing Board. AFK discloses the following: AAOS: Board or Committee Member American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons: Board or Committee Member; Anterior Hip Foundation: Board or Committee Member; BodyCad: Paid Consultant DePuy, A Johnson & Johnson Company: Paid Consultant; Paid Presenter or Speaker; Innomed: IP Royalties; Johnson & Johnson: Stock or Stock Options Ortho Development: Paid Consultant; Procter & Gamble: Stock or Stock Options; Signature Orthopedics: Research Support; United Ortho: Paid Consultant Zimmer: Paid Consultant; Paid Presenter or Speaker; Stock or Stock Options.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
