Factors Correlated with the Quality of Life after Total Knee Arthroplasties: A Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION

Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) has been widely reported to improve outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), but there are still 15 - 20% of patients still experience pain, physical limitations, and other complications after TKA. Therefore, it is necessary to identify various factors that correlate with QoL from current evidence. The objective is to review the literature on factors that correlate with QoL in patients who underwent TKA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature search was conducted on five databases, i.e. ProQuest, CINAHL, Medline, Embase, and Scopus, using the following keywords: total knee arthroplasty (TKA), post-operative, quality of life (QoL), and outcome. There were no restrictions on the research design.

RESULTS

This review found 14 articles (7 prospective studies and 7 retrospective studies) involving 15,972 patients who underwent TKA, with an age range of 32 - 94 years. All articles reported improvement in QoL after TKA. The review revealed 30 factors, of which 15 factors were significantly correlated with QoL after TKA. The factors were grouped into four types: demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, and psychosocial factors.

CONCLUSION

Information regarding factors that correlate with QoL after TKA can be used for directing treatment and discharge planning according to the patient's factors.