Long-term patient-reported knee-related outcomes and quality of life of patients with tibial plateau fractures: A mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the long-term functional outcomes in patients who sustained a tibial plateau fracture by combining patient-reported outcomes and a qualitative analysis of their healthcare experiences and compare the long-term outcomes of tibial plateau fracture patients with a matched healthy population. METHODS: Patients who were treated for a tibial plateau fracture at an Australian trauma-center, were asked to complete two questionnaires. The outcomes of our patient sample were compared to those of a matched sample of the general population. Lastly, in-depth interviews were conducted in a subset of participating patients to gain insight in their treatment experiences. RESULTS: Among 165 eligible patients treated at an Australian trauma center for a tibial plateau fracture, 46 participated in the study, with 18 patients consenting to in-depth interviews. Patients who sustained a tibial plateau fracture exhibited significant worse outcomes compared to a matched healthy population. Their quality of life were significantly lower for patients with tibial plateau fractures compared to a matched health population. The qualitative analysis highlights patient perspectives and suggests potential improvements, such as standard referral to physical therapy and optimization of support services. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the substantial impact of tibial plateau fractures on knee-related outcomes and quality of life for patients, 5-10 years post-injury. The qualitative findings of this study revealed that patients wished to improve the implementation of physical therapy and improving support services to potentially achieve optimal healthcare.