Patient-reported perioperative care quality among patients treated with total hip arthroplasty due to femoral neck fracture.

INTRODUCTION: Perioperative care is a central component of hip fracture treatment, yet knowledge regarding the quality of perioperative care from the patient perspective remains limited. AIM: To investigate patients' perceptions of perioperative care quality and identify aspects in need of improvement among patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture. METHOD: 385 patients treated with total hip arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture within the Swedish arm of the Duality trial between November 2022 and November 2023 were invited to participate. 171 patients gave informed consent to participate and received questionnaires. Data were analysed using the Quality from the Patient Perspective (QPP) framework. Perceived reality (PR) and subjective importance (SI) ratings were analysed. Lower PR scores were interpreted as strengths, while quality deficiencies were identified using the Index of Quality (IQ). RESULT: In total, 118 of 171 patients responded. Overall, most assessed perioperative care aspects (21 of 33, 64%) were assessed as strengths. Strengths primarily concerned medical care, accessibility and physicians' and nurses' engagement and respectful treatment. In contrast, four aspects related to pre- and postoperative information provision and patient participation during intra- and postoperative care were identified as areas requiring improvement. CONCLUSION: While most aspects of perioperative care were perceived as high quality, informational and participatory aspects emerged as areas requiring improvement. Strengthening information provision and supporting patient participation may enhance patients' perceptions of perioperative care quality following hip fracture surgery.