Prehabilitation and the effects of extended surgery waiting times v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of a Prehabilitation pathway and measuring the health effects of extended surgical waiting times for Knee and Hip arthroplasty patients
IRAS ID
353149
Contact name
Kate Button
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
Knee and hip Osteoarthritis (OA) is a global problem effecting at least a quarter of older adults. It causes pain, disability, reduction in quality of life and an economic burden to society. The treatment for severe, end stage OA can include joint replacement surgery (JRS). Unfortunately, delayed care during the Covid pandemic has caused an significant rise in non emergency waiting list for patients with end stage OA to receive potential joint replacement surgery. There is a current limited understanding of the effects waiting on these extended list has on individual’s health status, including their joint function and on any pre-existing health conditions. The aim of this study is to measure the health effects of patients over time when waiting for surgery. Phase 1 of this study will use an existing health database that collects the health outcomes of patients waiting for joint replacement surgery every 6 months until their operation. Some of these patients will have been through a supervised exercise and weight management (Prehabilitation) programme as part of standard care. There are over 3500 patient datasets included for analysis. Patient’s health outcomes are updated every 6 months allowing the opportunity to measure changes over a period of time. To understand the participants lived experience of being on these waiting lists. Phase 2 of this study will include multiple semi structured focus groups. These small groups will aim to explore the philosophical understanding of patient’s experiences. The focus groups will aim to discover the lived experience of waiting on these extended lists. Aiming to further understand the effects of extended waiting lists and how to support patients better. This research approach aims to understand the effects of long waiting list on health, whilst concurrently understanding how we can best use Prehabilitation to support patients preparing for surgery.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/WM/0223
Date of REC Opinion
5 Nov 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion