An Exploration Into the Young Patients' (< 50 Years) Expectations Following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: What Outcomes Are Important to Them? A Qualitative Study.

To be confident that healthcare providers are providing the very best patient care in the instance of the younger patient it is essential to ask them their own interpretation of needs and priorities, and how they feel they can be met. There currently is an urgent need for further studies into the area of total hip arthroplasty in young patients, especially qualitative research defining the outcomes important to them after surgery. The considerably larger, older patient population undergoing this surgery often influence the way post-operative outcomes are measured (Larsson et al 2019, Mannion et al 2009, Wright and Young 1997, Wright et al 2000).

The study aims to discover and explore the following questions:

Are the priorities of the younger patient (< 50) being addressed and fulfilled when undergoing a THR? Are the current Outcome Measures identifying the priorities and required outcomes of the younger patient (< 50) undergoing a THR? The study will use a qualitative approach and method. Interviews will be conducted either face to face, via telephone or video calls dependent on participant preference. Semi-structured and narrative methods will be combined to encourage the participant to talk freely in regard to their own views and opinions on their surgery. Participants will also be asked to complete the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Hip Score (HOOS) at baseline (pre surgery), 6 weeks post-surgery and 6 months post-surgery time points to examine if this outcome measure illustrates a similar state to that which they described during their interviews.

With the participants' consent, these interviews will be recorded and transcribed by the Chief Investigator.

Participants will be assigned a study number on recruitment. All data will be anonymised and labelled with the appropriate participant's study number.