Background: Total joint arthroplasty is a mature and effective treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis. Assisting patients in completing the transition of the perioperative period and improving their satisfaction are important aspects of quality of care. This study aimed to investigate an intervention to improve the quality of care transition for joint arthroplasty patients informed by the knowledge-to-action (KTA) framework.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, a total of 160 patients who underwent joint arthroplasty at a tertiary hospital from September to November 2018 and January to March 2019 were selected as participants using convenience sampling. The control group received routine medical care, while the observation group received medical care based on the KTA framework. Transitional care quality was assessed by the Care Transition Measure (CTM), with follow-up 1 week after discharge.
Results: The observation group fared significantly better than the control group on general self-care preparation and written plan dimensions, as well as the quality of care transition. There was no significant difference in doctor-patient communication or health monitoring.
Conclusions: The KTA framework provides a logical, valuable tool for clinical work. Using the KTA framework for joint arthroplasty patients helps to improve the quality of care transition, which is worth promoting.
Keywords: Arthroplasty; Care transition; Knowledge-to-action framework; Quality; Quality improvement.