Use of telephone interviews to follow up patients after total hip replacement

We studied the feasibility of telephone interviews to assess hip function in patients who had had a total hip replacement. One hundred patients attending the orthopaedic clinic for follow-up after undergoing total hip replacement were studied. A modified Harris hip score was used. Since range of motion and deformity cannot be assessed by telephone, only pain and function were assessed. The maximum possible score was 100. Patients attending follow-up clinics were contacted by telephone one to two weeks prior to their appointment and a telephone assessment was completed. This was then compared with a face-to-face assessment in the subsequent clinic. The mean hip score obtained with the telephone interview was 85.2 and the mean hip score at face-to-face assessment was 86.1. The mean of the differences between the individual scores was -0.9 (SD 5.5). This difference was not significant (P=0.11). Only three patients had a clinically significant difference (> 20 points) between the two methods. Telephone questionnaires may be a useful adjunct to face-to-face assessment for patient follow-up after total hip replacement.