Determinants of patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA): a literature review

Background: The most common form of degenerative joint disease is osteoarthritis. Concomitant with the increased prevalence of osteoarthritis, the incidence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) also rises. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a surgical procedure for replacing an abnormal knee joint with artificial materials. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a cost-effective orthopedic surgery with good patient outcomes. This literature review aimed to elaborate on the determinants of patient satisfaction after TKA surgery. Methods: This literature review was carried out by searching studies in three online databases consisting of Google Scholar, PubMed, and Wiley Online Library using the keywords "total knee arthroplasty", "total knee replacement", "osteoarthritis", "satisfaction", and "determinants" to specify our study results. Appropriate studies were then carried out through a narrative synthesis analysis. Results: The satisfaction of patients after two broad components determines TKA. Internal and external. The internal component consists of the patient's age, gender, personality, expectations, comorbidity, the severity of the disease, and other factors such as BMI, economic and educational class. While the external component consists of anesthesia and pain management, surgery technique, implant or prosthesis type, post-operative rehabilitation and length of hospital stay. Therefore, the surgical technique, including its indications, alternatives, prospective results, and risk of issues, must be fully discussed between doctors and patients to maintain patient satisfaction following TKA. Conclusion: The determinant of patient satisfaction following TKA surgery can be classified into internal components (patient-related factor) and external components (surgery-related factor). Although important, patient satisfaction shouldn't be the determining factor for evaluating the efficacy of surgical treatments and patient care.