Perceptions of De-implementing Routine Follow-ups After Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

After undergoing total hip or total knee arthroplasty, current guidelines recommend routine follow-up with an X-ray within 3 months and again at 1 year. Follow-up at 5 years (for hip arthroplasties) or every 5 years (for knee arthroplasties) is also considered worthwhile according to the guidelines. However, these follow-up appointments require considerable time from patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, and it is unclear whether they are truly beneficial. It is possible that a single follow-up within 3 months is sufficient. This could potentially prevent over 100,000 unnecessary hospital visits per year, resulting in significant cost savings. If patients or healthcare providers have concerns, they can always request an additional follow-up.

The HAKA trial consists of three different work packages (WPs).The quantitative work packages 1 (WP1) and 2 (WP2) will investigate the 1-year and 10-year follow-up. The qualitative third work package (WP3) will explore and compare the patients' and health care professionals' (HCPs) experiences with, and perceptions about, RFU and COD after total hip and knee arthroplasty. The aim of the overarching HAKA-trial is to safely reduce routine follow-up appointments after total hip or knee arthroplasty and to revise current clinical guidelines accordingly.