Patient compliance with postoperative precautions in an unrestricted and a supine sleeping position following posterolateral total hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate compliance with the precaution to sleep in a supine position following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and its impact on the other precautions.

Materials and methods

Single-center, parallel-group, stratified, randomized trial. Patients were allocated to a Restricted Group or an Unrestricted Group. This study focuses on compliance with the precaution to sleep in a supine position, compliance with the remaining set of precautions and the burden of restricted sleeping. Measurements were made using a self-administered diary and questionnaires. Trial registration number: NCT02107248.

Results

During the first 2 weeks, 81% of the patients in the restricted group were compliant with sleeping in a supine position.

Patients in the Unrestricted Group significantly kept sleeping fewer days per week in a supine position than patients in the Restricted Group (p = 0.000). No significant differences between the two groups were found regarding compliance with the remaining set of precautions. The burden of the sleeping restriction is significantly lowered in the Unrestricted Group (p = 0.000)

Conclusions

Compliance with restricting patients to sleep in a supine position is high. Removing this precaution has a significant decrease in burden for patients without affecting compliance with the remaining set of precautions.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02107248 – https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02107248?term=anil+peters&draw=2&rank=1

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Sleeping precautions cause a high rate of burden to patients, whereas movement precautions do not.

• By removing sleeping precautions, the burden is significantly reduced without affecting the remaining set of precautions.

• Compliance with movement precautions is high compared to other more functional precautions.

Keywords:

• Precautions
• total hip arthroplasty
• compliance
• restrictions
• supine sleeping

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).