Alberta Hip and Knee Replacement Project

The Alberta Orthopaedic Society through its Arthroplasty Service Design Working Group has, after carefully reviewing the existing conventional approach to arthroplasty care, developed what they believe could be a much improved new evidence based arthroplasty care model. This model represents how ideally a patient would access and receive health services across the complete continuum of care. In addition, wherever possible, evidence gathered from the literature and from "known best practices" has been utilized to develop standards related to access, wait times, clinical quality, resource use and health outcome measures. Where no evidence or "known best practices" exist, a standard that best support achieving other known standards are being developed. This new evidence based arthroplasty model seeks to significantly minimize and where possible, eliminate all the current gaps and barriers to arthroplasty care.

This study will seek to prove that the new evidence based arthroplasty model will deliver improved patient outcomes with improved cost effectiveness. Once proven, it is anticipated that this new evidence based arthroplasty model will become the standard of care in Alberta, and a model for other jurisdictions to use in their health service re-designs

Inclusion criteria

• Patient is at least 18 years of age
• Patient is able to provide written consent

Exclusion criteria

• Patient has previously undergone arthroplasty of the same hip or knee (revision)
• Patient has a surgical date scheduled for arthroplasty
• Patient requires a hip resurfacing procedure or an oxford knee
• Patient has a concurrent medical condition that would contraindicate the patients' ability to participate fully in the study procedures, including terminal conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, end stage renal disease, heart failure, malignancy with an anticipated life expectancy of ≤ 2 years
• Patient has senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease