The efficacy of psychosocial factors in predicting pain and functional outcomes following knee replacement surgery
- School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Correspondence to Pamela Gallagher
School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Collins Avenue, Dublin 9, Ireland; Pamela.Gallagher{at}dcu.ie
Implications for practice and research
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■ Psychosocial variables can help to explain patient outcomes following total knee replacement.
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■ In particular, lower levels of depressive symptomatology and dysfunctional coping, and higher levels of education, problem-focused coping, internal health locus of control and perceived adequacy of assistance from others were predictive of enhanced outcomes at 6 months postsurgery.
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■ Rehabilitation providers should consider the merit of incorporating and evaluating psychosocial screening tools to identify individuals at risk of poor outcomes.
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■ Research is needed on the effectiveness of interventions targeting these psychosocial variables.
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■ Rehabilitation providers should consider the merit of incorporating interventions such as coping skills training into existing programmes to improve postsurgery outcomes.
Context
Approximately a quarter of individuals who undergo knee replacement …
