Dive into the data… For your patients!

Background: Traditional orthopedic evaluation often prioritizes radiographic alignment and clinician-reported outcomes over patient-perceived success. However, a discrepancy frequently exists between technical surgical precision and postoperative patient satisfaction, particularly in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). While Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) are increasingly utilized, their integration into daily clinical workflows remains inconsistent due to perceived administrative burdens and potential collection biases.

Objective: This article examines the utility of real-time, digital data collection platforms for monitoring PROMs and Clinician-Reported Outcome Measures (CROMs) to enhance clinical decision-making and improve the quality of orthopedic care.

Key Points: Analysis of data from a digital collection platform indicates high patient participation rates across all age groups, contradicting the assumption that elderly patients cannot navigate digital tools. Findings demonstrate a poor correlation between traditional scoring systems, such as the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and overall patient satisfaction. Furthermore, no significant correlation was observed between maximum knee flexion at one year and patient satisfaction levels. Data suggest that high pain intensity on the first postoperative day is a predictor for continued use of assistive devices at one month. Granular data collection allows for the optimization of postoperative follow-up schedules; for instance, identifying that TKA patients with less than 90° flexion at 21 days may require earlier intervention.

Conclusion: Implementing systematic, patient-led digital assessment tools facilitates a more objective understanding of subjective outcomes. By correlating PROMs with CROMs, surgeons can adapt clinical protocols, optimize analgesic strategies, and refine the timing of postoperative interventions to better align with patient needs.