The Utility of Pre-operative Screening for Depression in Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Commentary

Total hip arthroplasty is a common procedure with the potential to improve the quality of life of those inflicted with osteoarthritis of the hip. Despite the relatively high success rate, there are a number of patients who are dissatisfied with their outcome.1-3 This suggests that there are multiple physical and mental factors that may be influencing the outcome. Specifically, mental health disorders have been shown to have negative effects on the outcomes of total hip arthroplasty.4 Identifying these issues, such as depression and anxiety, pre-operatively not only reduces resource utilization post-operatively, but it can also improve patient perceptions of their recovery and provide meaningful improvements in their lives for years after the surgery.
Source: The Journal of Arthroplasty - Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research