Delphi responses for “strong support” (“essential” or “very important”), by survey round and stakeholder group
| Research topic | No. (%) of respondents; survey round, stakeholder group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Second round | |||||
| Patients and caregivers n = 36 | Clinicians n = 27 | Combined n = 63 | Patients and caregivers n = 32 | Clinicians n = 25 | Combined n = 57 | |
| Information on lifestyle changes to prevent or delay osteoarthritis | 25 (70) | 22 (81) | 47 (75) | 27 (84) | 23 (92) | 50 (88) |
| Improving other surgical techniques to avoid or delay need for knee replacement surgery | 28 (78) | 7 (26) | 35 (56) | 26 (81) | 7 (28) | 33 (58) |
| Managing knee symptoms to avoid or delay need for knee replacement surgery | 24 (67) | 18 (67) | 42 (67) | |||
| Understanding differences between patient and surgeon views on the right time for knee replacement | 30 (83) | 18 (67) | 48 (76) | 29 (91) | 17 (68) | 46 (81) |
| Improving wait times for surgery | 27 (75) | 19 (70) | 46 (73) | 29 (91) | 18 (72) | 47 (82) |
| Effectively managing knee pain before surgery | 26 (72) | 18 (67) | 44 (70) | 27 (84) | 21 (84) | 48 (84) |
| Information on lifestyle changes before surgery to improve recovery after surgery | 25 (69) | 23 (85) | 48 (76) | 28 (88) | 24 (96) | 52 (91) |
| Improving patient understanding of what to expect during and after surgery | 31 (86) | 22 (81) | 53 (84) | 30 (94) | 21 (84) | 51 (90) |
| Providing emotional and psychological support to patients before surgery from other patients | 20 (56) | 11 (41) | 31 (49) | |||
| Providing emotional and psychological support to patients before surgery from professional counsellors | 18 (50) | 8 (30) | 26 (41) | |||
| Improving knee implants that allow for kneeling, squatting and walking downhill | 31 (86) | 17 (63) | 48 (76) | 29 (91) | 16 (64) | 45 (79) |
| Improving surgical practices for best healing and scar minimization | 25 (70) | 11 (41) | 36 (57) | |||
| Understanding the role of genetics in surgical scar formations | 20 (56) | 5 (18) | 25 (40) | |||
| Managing other illnesses while in hospital including medication interaction | 25 (70) | 15 (56) | 40 (64) | |||
| Promoting respectful behaviour between patients and clinicians in clinical settings | 21 (58) | 15 (56) | 36 (57) | |||
| Improving practices for physiotherapy after surgery | 32 (89) | 23 (85) | 55 (87) | 30 (94) | 23 (92) | 53 (93) |
| Understanding differences between the patient and clinician views on the right time to discharge from the hospital | 24 (67) | 17 (63) | 41 (65) | |||
| Effectiveness of discharge to a rehabilitation hospital before being sent home | 25 (70) | 11 (41) | 36 (57) | |||
| Integrating family doctors into surgery recovery at the hospital and after discharge from hospital | 23 (64) | 13 (48.1) | 36 (57) | |||
| Exploring the best role of the surgeon after hospital discharge | 33 (92) | 9 (33) | 42 (67) | 28 (88) | 9 (36) | 37 (65) |
| Effective use of pain medication after hospital discharge | 29 (81) | 22 (81) | 51 (81) | 28 (88) | 20 (80) | 48 (84) |
| Effective support from the health care system after surgery | 32 (89) | 19 (70) | 51 (81) | 28 (88) | 19 (74) | 47 (82) |
| Effective self-management after hospital discharge | 31 (86) | 23 (85) | 54 (86) | 29 (91) | 23 (92) | 52 (91) |
| Promoting exercise following surgery | 33 (92) | 23 (85) | 56 (89) | 30 (94) | 24 (96) | 54 (95) |
| Providing effective support to patients with ongoing recovery problems | 27 (75) | 16 (59) | 43 (68) | 29 (91) | 15 (60) | 44 (77) |
Note: In the first round of the survey, 61% of eligible patients and caregivers and 82% of eligible clinicians participated; the combined response rate was 69%; 89% of the patients and caregivers and 93% of the clinicians who participated in the first round also participated in the second round. The combined response rate was 90% in the second round.