Where is the patient in models of patient-centred care: a grounded theory study of total joint replacement patients

• Published in: BMC health services research 2013-12, Vol.13 (1), p.531-531, Article 531
• Main Authors: Webster, Fiona, Perruccio, Anthony V, Jenkinson, Richard, Jaglal, Susan, Schemitsch, Emil, Waddell, James P, Bremner, Samantha, Mobilio, Melanie Hammond, Venkataramanan, Viji, Davis, Aileen M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Adult; Aged; Arthritis; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip - psychology; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip - standards; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - psychology; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - standards; Care and treatment; Chronic Pain - psychology; Comorbidity; Data collection; Decision making; Female; Grounded theory; Health care access; Health care networks; Hospitals; Humans; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Joint replacement surgery; Male; Medical care; Medical referrals; Medical research; Medicine; Middle Aged; Models, Organizational; Orthopedics; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Pain Management - psychology; Pain Management - standards; Patient satisfaction; Patient-centered care; Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; Patient-Centered Care - standards; Qualitative Research; Quality management; Referral and Consultation - statistics & numerical data; Surgeons; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/1472-6963-13-531

Patient-centered care ideally considers patient preferences, values and needs. However, it is unclear if policies such as wait time strategies for hip and knee replacement surgery (TJR) are patient-centred as they focus on an isolated episode of care. This paper describes the accounts of people scheduled to undergo TJR, focusing on their experience of (OA) as a chronic disease that has considerable impact on their everyday lives. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with participants scheduled to undergo TJR who were recruited from the practices of two orthopaedic surgeons. We first used maximum variation and then theoretical sampling based on age, sex and joint replaced. 33 participants (age 38-79 years; 17 female) were included in the analysis. 20 were scheduled for hip replacement and 13 for knee replacement. A constructivist approach to grounded theory guided sampling, data collection and analysis. While a specific hip or knee was the target for surgery, individuals experienced multiple-joint symptoms and comorbidities. Management of their health and daily lives was impacted by these combined experiences. Over time, they struggled to manage symptoms with varying degrees of access to and acceptance of pain medication, which was a source of constant concern. This was a multi-faceted issue with physicians reluctant to prescribe and many patients reluctant to take prescription pain medications due to their side effects. For patients, TJR surgery is an acute intervention in the experience of chronic disease, OA and other comorbidities. While policy has focused on wait time as patient/surgeon decision for surgery to surgery date, the patient's experience does not begin or end with surgery as they struggle to manage their pain. Our findings suggest that further work is needed to align the medical treatment of OA with the current policy emphasis on patient-centeredness. Patient-centred care may require a paradigm shift that is not always evident in current policy and strategies.