Michael P. Ast, MD, Chief of the Knee Service, and Chief Medical Innovation Officer at HSS speaks to Healio about a study that shows patients with a familial emergency contact, such as a spouse or first- and second-degree relative, may have better outcomes after total hip or knee arthroplasty vs. patients with a non-familial emergency contact.

“During the last decade or so, we have gained increasing awareness of the importance of understanding the social determinants of health and its implications on outcomes after hip and knee arthroplasty. The transition to shorter hospital stays and ambulatory hip and knee replacement have further highlighted this importance. This study uses non-familial primary contacts as a proxy for a patient’s lack of any direct relatives available to assist with care immediately following surgery. While this may not be perfectly accurate, it appears a reasonable way to evaluate the subject and provides some fascinating, albeit not unexpected, results,” explained Dr. Ast. 

Read the full article at healio.com.