A qualitative research on preoperative prehabilitation perceptions in elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty

CHEN Min; HAN Shan; ZHOU Jing; ZHENG Haiou; CAI Ningge; LIU Qian; WU Haiqin

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2096-9058.2025.04.013

Abstract：Objective To understand the perceptions of preoperative prehabilitation in elderly patients with total knee arthroplasty(TKA),and to provide a basis for the development of a preoperative prehabilitation program.Methods A to-tal of 15 elderly patients who had received preoperative prerehabilitation to TKA in the Department of Joint Orthopedics of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from May to December 2024 were se-lected by purposition-based sampling.Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted through the framework analysis method and the ATLAS.TI software.The interview materials were analyzed and sorted out,and finally the real perception and experience of elderly TKA patients regarding preoperative prerehabilitation were summarized.Results There were 4 themes regarding the true perception of preoperative prerehabilitation in elderly patients with TKA:the intentions of preop-erative prehabilitation(positive attitudes,willingness to try to accept,lack of intrinsic behavioral motivation),the benefits of preoperative prehabilitation(improved surgical outcomes,accelerated postoperative recovery),the challenges of preop-erative prehabilitation(pain management,poorly conditioned environment and facilities,and safety issues),and the de-mands for preoperative prehabilitation(demands for information and counseling services,demands for program refinement,demands for networking and support).Conclusions Elderly TKA patients have a positive attitude towards preoperative prehabilitation,which can effectively promote rapid postoperative recovery.Healthcare professionals should strengthen publicity and education,construct personalized preoperative prehabilitation programs,and improve a diversified social support system to enhance patients'adherence to exercise prehabilitation,so as to ensure that preoperative prehabilitation achieves the best results.