The hip instructional prehabilitation program for enhanced recovery (HIPPER) as an eHealth approach to presurgical hip replacement Education: Feasibility randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective

To assess the fidelity of our study protocol and the fidelity of a co-developed eHealth program designed for people having total hip replacement.

Method

A single-center, assessor-masked, feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used. Fifty-one participants aged 50 and older with hip osteoarthritis who were scheduled to receive a total hip replacement participated in this study. We randomized participants into an experiment or a control group. The experiment group used an eHealth prehabilitation program called the Hip Instructional Prehabilitation Program for Enhanced Recovery (HIPPER). The control group received the usual care (i.e., attended an educational webinar). Feasibility indicators addressed process, resources, management, and treatment, and the primary clinical outcome measure was the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS).

Results

Eight out of 14 feasibility indicators were achieved. All management indicators were achieved. Participant consent and data completion strategies need revision, as 38 % (n = 36) refused participation and 33 % (n = 17) had incomplete data. There were no statistically significant differences between groups for the clinical outcomes (anxiety, pain, activities of daily living, and self-efficacy). Most HIPPER participants rated the eHealth program as “acceptable.”

Conclusion

Results show evidence for the feasibility of the study protocol. The results reveal minor modifications to the study protocol to improve participant engagement, retention rate, and data completion. Moreover, to increase the perceived benefits, the content of the HIPPER can be modified. A refined version of HIPPER can provide accessible pre-operative care to patients undergoing total hip replacement. This program can also improve surgery outcomes by increasing patients’ readiness.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02969512. Registered on November 21, 2016.