Effect of preparatory information prior to elective total hip replacement on psychological coping outcomes

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of preparatory information on psychological coping outcomes among total hip replacement (THR) patients. A quasi-experimental design within an ethnographic clinical context was used. Eighty-two healthy individuals, scheduled for elective THR were recruited for the study and nonrandom selection techniques were used. The subjects in the experimental group were given procedural, sensory and coping information relating to the whole surgical procedure of a THR. In addition, written information was given to support the verbal information. Subjects in the control group received only the advice and support that would routinely be given to THR patients by ward, medical and nursing staff. The main outcomes were measured using standard questionnaires, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) measuring anxiety and depression, Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale measuring self-esteem, and Health Illness Questionnaire measuring sense of control. Lastly, a Linear Analogue Coping Scale was developed and applied to assess a subject's personal perception of coping with a THR. Providing information had positive effects on the psychological coping outcomes measured. Subjects in the experimental group had significantly less anxiety and depression with a high self-esteem and sense of control. The Linear Analogue Coping Scale demonstrated a strong correlation between how subjects believed they were coping and that measured using the standard questionnaires. The study concluded that preparatory information of various types and in different forms appears to have positive effects on psychological coping outcomes for THR patients, which may have influenced postoperative recovery.