Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Arthritis of knee is becoming common with the aging of the population in Canada and other countries. Individuals suffering from knee arthritis report significant difficulties in their daily activities and fulfilling their life roles. Total knee replacement (TKR) surgery relieves pain, improves functions, and believed to increase health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for people with moderate to severe knee arthritis. Patient-reported questionnaires are used by rehabilitation professionals to measure the change in quality of life in people with knee arthritis who undergo TKR. Several patient-reported questionnaires have been used for this purpose across studies that examined change in HRQOL after TKA, however it is not clear whether these questionnaires have all the necessary attributes for assessing HRQOL in individuals who undergo TKA. This study examined whether there is evidence regarding the relevance, usefulness, and applicability of some of the most common HRQOL questionnaires used in individuals with TKA. These questionnaires were first identified using state of the art search techniques by looking different medical databases. Secondly, the relevance, usefulness, and applicability of seven selected questionnaires were examined using standard guidelines. Our results indicated that most questionnaires are reliable and provide accurate indication of individuals' health status. However, five of the questionnaires have never been tested for their applicability and usefulness in individuals with TKA. The other two questionnaires were not even the questionnaires for assessing the HRQOL, rather they assessed the disability and functions in TKA. Our results indicate that the questionnaires currently used in individuals with TKA do not provide accurate assessment of HRQOL. We suggest that researchers conduct future studies to examine the usefulness of existing questionnaires or develop new questionnaires for accurate assessment of HRQOL in individuals following TKA.