Variations in Surgeons’ Recovery Expectations for Patients Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty: A survey of the AAHKS Membership

Recovery expectations (RE) after total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA–TKA) influence outcomes. We surveyed AAHKS members to determine variation in surgeon RE. Four vignettes depicting patients with high and low expectations after THA and TKA were distributed with a validated RE survey. Responses were analyzed for clinically significant differences between surgeons and within surgeons. Of 1049 surgeons surveyed, 358 (34%) responded. There was a clinically significant difference in 85% (high-THA), 46% (low-THA), 74% (high-TKA), and 57% (low-TKA) of pairs. Disagreement was significantly greater in high expectation vignettes. Individual surgeons distinguished between high and low expectation patients in 76% (THA) and 72% (TKA) of cases. There was no association between surgeon RE and practice demographics. Wide variations in RE were observed, especially among high expectation patients.