Discharge on the day of surgery after primary hip and knee arthroplasty in selected patients is possible but not widely implemented. Although selective use of outpatient surgery in individual centers has been shown to be feasible, the use of outpatient surgery on a national level is low.
“The Center for Fast-track Hip and Knee Replacement” is a multicenter collaboration consisting of 8 public arthroplasty centers across all 5 regions in Denmark, covering approximately 40% of the annual number of hip and knee arthroplasties in Denmark.
This thesis aims to investigate the implementation process of discharge on day of surgery after primary hip and knee arthroplasty across the arthroplasty centers reporting to “The Center for Fast-track Hip and Knee Replacement”. We will evaluate which patients are suitable for discharge on the day of surgery, the feasibility of the implementation, limiting factors, and patient safety. Finally, complications and readmissions after discharge on day of surgery will be analyzed.
Study 1: will investigate the implementation process for outpatient THA, TKA and UKA in 8 centers with well-established fast-track pathways in a public healthcare system.
Study 2: will analyze causes of not being discharged on day of surgery when found eligible for outpatient surgery.
Study 3: will investigate complications and readmissions within 30 days for patients eligible for outpatient surgery discharged on the day of surgery, compared to eligible patients not discharged on the day of surgery.
Study 4: To develop a prediction tool for discharge on the day of surgery.