Expectativas y aprensiones de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía de reconstrucción de ligamento cruzado anterior de rodilla / Expectations and concerns of patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery

INTRODUCCIÓN: La lesión del ligamento cruzado anterior (LCA) es una afección frecuente cuyo manejo quirúrgico genera incertidumbre en el paciente sobre su retorno a la actividad. Las expectativas previas al procedimiento influyen en su percepción del éxito del tratamiento, la aparición de complicaciones y en el resultado final, comprometiendo la satisfacción en el postoperatorio. OBJETIVO: Determinar las preocupaciones y expectativas de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía de reconstrucción de LCA. MÉTODO: Estudio prospectivo observacional realizado a través de encuestas a pacientes con lesión del LCA que serían sometidos a una cirugía de reconstrucción. Las variables evaluadas fueron edad, mecanismo de lesión, práctica de actividad deportiva, información previa acerca de la intervención quirúrgica y las preocupaciones y expectativas sobre el procedimiento. RESULTADOS: Cincuenta pacientes fueron encuestados, 38 hombres y 12 mujeres, con edad promedio de 30 años. Los mecanismos de lesión más frecuentes correspondieron a accidentes deportivos de fútbol y esquí. El 96% de los encuestados practicaba algún deporte de forma regular (promedio 5h semanales) previo a la intervención quirúrgica. El 90% de los pacientes investigaron sobre la cirugía de reconstrucción de LCA. Las principales preocupaciones preoperatorias correspondieron al tiempo de recuperación (40%) y a la posibilidad de reintegrarse en la práctica deportiva (38%). Las expectativas se concentraron en lograr un reintegro deportivo precoz (54%) y la presencia de dolor postoperatorio (40%). CONCLUSIÓN: Los pacientes sometidos a reconstrucción de LCA presentan preocupaciones principalmente respecto al tiempo de recuperación postoperatorio y sus expectativas se centran en el logro de un reintegro deportivo precoz.

INTRODUCTION: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common condition and its surgical treatment causes uncertainty in patients about their return to activity. The expectations prior to the procedure influence their perception of treatment success, development of complications, and final results, and can have an impact on post-surgical patient satisfaction. OBJETIVE: To determine the concerns and expectations of patients undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery. METHOD: Prospective observational study, in which questionnaires were completed by patients with ACL injury that would undergo reconstructive surgery. The evaluated variables were age, mechanism of injury, sports practice, prior information about the surgery and concerns and expectations about the procedure. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients completed the questionnaire, of whom 38 were men and 12 women with a mean age of 30 years. The most common injury mechanisms were when practicing football and skiing. Almost all (96%) of respondents played sports regularly (average 5hours a week) before the surgery. A total of 90% of patients had enquired about ACL reconstruction surgery. The main pre-operative concerns were recovery time (40%) and the possibility of reinstatement of sports (38%). Expectations are focused on achieving an early sports recovery (54%) and the presence of postoperative pain (40%). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction have concerns primarily as regards post-surgical recovery time and expectations are focused on achieving an early reinstatement of sports.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the lower extremity functional scale into a Brazilian Portuguese version and validation on patients with knee injuries.

STUDY DESIGN: Clinical measurement. OBJECTIVE: To translate and culturally adapt the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) into a Brazilian Portuguese version, and to test the construct and content validity and reliability of this version in patients with knee injuries. BACKGROUND: There is no Brazilian Portuguese version of an instrument to assess the function of the lower extremity after orthopaedic injury. METHODS: The translation of the original English version of the LEFS into a Brazilian Portuguese version was accomplished using standard guidelines and tested in 31 patients with knee injuries. Subsequently, 87 patients with a variety of knee disorders completed the Brazilian Portuguese LEFS, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form and a visual analog scale for pain. All patients were retested within 2 days to determine reliability of these measures. Validation was assessed by determining the level of association between the Brazilian Portuguese LEFS and the other outcome measures. Reliability was documented by calculating internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and standard error of measurement. RESULTS: The Brazilian Portuguese LEFS had a high level of association with the physical component of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (r = 0.82), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (r = 0.87), the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Evaluation Form (r = 0.82), and the pain visual analog scale (r = -0.60) (all, P<.05). The Brazilian Portuguese LEFS had a low level of association with the mental component of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (r = 0.38, P<.05). The internal consistency (Cronbach α = .952) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.957) of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the LEFS were high. The standard error of measurement was low (3.6) and the agreement was considered high, demonstrated by the small differences between test and retest and the narrow limit of agreement, as observed in Bland-Altman and survival-agreement plots. CONCLUSION: The translation of the LEFS into a Brazilian Portuguese version was successful in preserving the semantic and measurement properties of the original version and was shown to be valid and reliable in a Brazilian population with knee injuries.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian version of the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form: validity and reproducibility.

BACKGROUND: The perception of improvement by a patient has assumed a central role in functional evaluation after a variety of knee problems. One of the instruments most used in clinical research is the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form because its psychometric properties are considered to be excellent. Nonetheless, this questionnaire was originally developed for use in the English language. Therefore, to use this questionnaire in the Brazilian population, it is essential to translate and validate it. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to translate the IKDC Subjective Knee Form into a Brazilian version and to test its validity and reproducibility. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: The translation of the original IKDC Subjective Knee Form into a Brazilian version was accomplished in accordance with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine guidelines and was tested in 32 patients with knee pathologic conditions to develop the first Brazilian version. To test validity and reproducibility, 117 patients with several knee complaints completed the Brazilian IKDC Subjective Knee Form, the Short Form 36 (SF-36), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Lysholm score. From these patients, 85 were retested within a week to achieve reproducibility. The validation was addressed by correlating the Brazilian IKDC Subjective Knee Form to the other outcome measures. The reproducibility was tested by measuring internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and agreement. RESULTS: The Brazilian IKDC Subjective Knee Form was highly related to the physical component summary of the SF-36, the Lysholm score, and the WOMAC, and weakly related to the mental component summary of SF-36 (r = .79, .89, .85, and .51, respectively). The internal consistency was strong, with a Cronbach alpha value of .928 and .935 in the test and retest assessment, respectively. The test-retest reliability proved to be excellent, with a high value of the intraclass correlation coefficient (.988), as well as the agreement, demonstrated by the low differences between the means of the test and retest, and the short limit of agreement, observed in the Altman-Bland and survival-agreement plots. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide evidence that the Brazilian IKDC Subjective Knee Form has psychometric properties similar to the original version. In addition, it was a reliable evaluation instrument for patients with knee-related problems.

Living with pain: narrating an ideological position toward healthcare.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how individual experiences shape ideologies toward healthcare. To demonstrate, we analyze conversational narrative data about health and healthcare between a dominant Spanish-speaking Mexican immigrant woman, Maria, and the researcher, Caroline. Findings demonstrate that Maria's narrative about her experience receiving healthcare for a knee injury reveals her ideological stance toward healthcare in both the United States and Mexico. In particular, the narrative reflects an ideological position in which medical providers neglect patients and strip them of agency in making choices about their own healthcare. Cultural competence, then, is not only about gaining knowledge of patients' cultural groups but also about understanding how patients' life experiences shape them as autonomous individuals with socially constructed attitudes toward healthcare.