ELDERLY SINGAPOREANS' PERCEPTIONS OF UNDERGOING JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

TOTAL HIP AND KNEE REPLACEMENTS ALLEVIATE PAIN AND DISABILITY, RESTORE FUNCTION AND IMPROVE A PATIENT?S QUALITY OF LIFE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE PERCEPTION OF ELDERLY SINGAPOREANS UNDERGOING JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY. A DESCRIPTIVE QUALITATIVE DESIGN WAS UTILISED AND GUIDED BY THE PREMISES OF THE CHRONIC CARE MODEL (CCM) AND SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY (SCT). CONVENIENCE SAMPLING WAS UTILISED TO RECRUIT 14 ELDERLY PARTICIPANTS UNDERGOING TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT AND TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERIES AT A LOCAL ACUTE TERTIARY HOSPITAL USING SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS. EIGHT THEMES AND 21 SUBTHEMES EMERGED FROM THE THREE CRITICAL PHASES OF `BEGINNING OF PAIN?, `FINDING SOLUTION? AND `RECOVERING? THROUGHOUT THE PERIOPERATIVE JOURNEY. THE `JOURNEY TO REGAIN LIFE? MODEL DEPICTED THE EMIC PERSPECTIVE OF PARTICIPANTS? PERSONAL BELIEFS AND CULTURAL VALUE SYSTEMS, WHICH INFLUENCED THEIR PERCEPTIONS, AND MENTAL AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENTS IN COPING WITH JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY.