Abstract
BACKGROUND: The education of orthopaedic patients is an essential component of nursing, because it has been shown to have a positive impact on outcomes of care and treatment.
PURPOSE: To describe total joint arthroplasty patients' perceptions of received knowledge on discharge.
DESIGN/METHOD: Patients (n = 123, mean age 68 years) undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty self-administered a structured instrument, including 6 different dimensions of knowledge.
RESULTS: Patients perceived that they received most knowledge on the biophysiological dimension and least on the financial dimension. Patients' discharge destination and positive evaluation of hospitalization were related to their perceptions of the knowledge received.
DISCUSSION: Individually tailored education is needed to meet patients' educational needs. Nurses are responsible for ensuring that patients have enough knowledge even if they do not ask for this knowledge.