Studies from Stanford University Describe New Findings in Arthroplasty (“i Often Feel Conflicted In Denying Surgery”Perspectives of Orthopaedic Surgeons On Body Mass Index Thresholds for Total Joint Arthroplasty a Qualitative Study): Surgery – Arthroplasty

2023 AUG 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Surgery - Arthroplasty is the subject of a report. According to news reporting from Palo Alto, California, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Use of a patient body mass index (BMI) eligibility threshold for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is controversial. A strict BMI criterion may reduce surgical complication rates, but over-restrict access to effective osteoarthritis (OA) treatment.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Stanford University, “Factors that influence orthopaedic surgeons’ use of BMI thresholds are unknown. We aimed to identify and explore orthopaedic surgeons’ perspectives regarding patient BMI eligibility thresholds for TJA. A cross-sectional, online qualitative survey was distributed to orthopaedic surgeons who conduct hip and/or knee TJA in the United States. Survey questions were open-ended, and responses were collected anonymously. Survey data were coded and analyzed in an iterative, systematic process to identify predominant themes. Forty-five surveys were completed. Respondents were 54.3 +/- 12.4 years old (range, 34 to 75 years), practiced in 22 states, and had 21.2 +/- 13.3 years (range, 2 to 44 years) of surgical experience. Twelve factors influencing BMI threshold use by orthopaedic surgeons were identified: (1) evidence interpretation, (2) personal experiences, (3) difficulty of surgery, (4) professional ramifications, (5) ethics and biases, (6) health-system policies and performance metrics, (7) surgical capacity and resources, (8) patient body fat distribution, (9) patient self-advocacy, (10) control of decision-making in the clinical encounter, (11) expectations for demonstrated weight loss, and (12) research and innovation gaps. Multilevel, complex factors underlie BMI threshold use for TJA eligibility.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Addressing identified factors at the patient, surgeon, and health-system levels should be considered to optimally balance complication avoidance with improving access to life-enhancing surgery.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: “i Often Feel Conflicted In Denying Surgery”Perspectives of Orthopaedic Surgeons On Body Mass Index Thresholds for Total Joint Arthroplasty a Qualitative Study. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 2023;105(11):865-877. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Kristine Godziuk, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Emily A. A. Reeson, Alex H. S. Harris and Nicholas J. J. Giori.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.2106/jbjs.22.01312. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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