Joint replacements: many people can safely wait 10 years for follow-up

Many people do not need a routine follow-up appointment after hip or knee replacement surgery. Research found that most people who had first replacement surgery using UK-recommended replacement joints can safely wait 10 years. People rarely develop problems after hip replacements or knee replacements. Services struggle to follow-up everyone after surgery, and many hospitals have either reduced or stopped follow-ups altogether. But there is little research into how safe this practice is. The team gathered information from previous research, national datasets, and from people with lived experience of joint replacements. They worked with a panel of surgeons, GPs and people with joint replacements to interpret the data. Together, they concluded that people with replacements recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were unlikely to need follow-up within 10 years of surgery, as long as they were able to self-refer to rapid-access specialist orthopaedic care (bypassing their GP) if they develop symptoms. For information about hip replacement or knee replacement surgery, visit the NHS website.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news