The Effect of Web-Based Education Program Applied to The Patients Undergoing Knee Arthroplasty on Self-Care Power, Self-Efficacy, and Quality of Life

The knee joint, actively used every day, is the largest joint in our body, supporting the body's weight and enabling various movements such as walking, running, squatting, and standing. It involves the most load-bearing structures: bones (distal femur, proximal tibia, and patella), cartilage (meniscus and articular cartilage), surrounding muscles, and ligaments (infrapatellar fat pad), facilitating joint mobilization. Due to constant use, the knee joint is prone to injuries and wear, making it the most common site for Osteoarthritis (OA). In the treatment of knee OA, conservative measures, medical treatments, and physical therapy are utilized in the early stages. However, when these treatments are ineffective, arthroplasty surgery, a commonly used surgical method, is often employed. Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) involves replacing a degenerated joint surface (femoral, tibial, and patellar joints) with a metal or polyethylene prosthesis. TKA, a widely used and highly successful surgical intervention in recent years, reduces pain, enhances functional range of motion, and improves independence and quality of life. Although TKA is a successful surgical treatment method, it can also lead to postoperative complications and undesired situations in patients. Post-TKA, patients often require support and information to regain their previous independence, especially since severe postoperative pain restricts knee joint movement and daily life activities, leading to insufficient self-careLiterature indicates that patients undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) experience adverse effects on their self-care power, self-efficacy levels, and quality of life. In this context, nurses, who are primarily responsible for patient care, have significant duties. Besides early postoperative care in the clinic, ensuring the continuity of home care after discharge is crucial. It has been reported in the literature that the care needs of discharged patients continue at home, and patients require high levels of education to safely continue their lives with a joint prosthesis. After discharge, the nurse's role as an educator/advisor becomes crucial. The nurse provides detailed counseling to patients discharged after TKA. The education provided by nurses enables patients to adapt to living with a joint prosthesis and actively participate in decisions related to their own care. With advancements in information technology, patient education has transitioned to the web using devices such as phones, tablets, and computers. Web-based education is advantageous due to constant access to information and the provision of continuous education through written and visual materials.As seen in the literature, web-designed educational studies have been conducted on different patient groups, but no web-designed educational study has been found after TKA surgery. Having a web design for post-TKA patient education will increase the effectiveness of the training, as patients can be tracked at any time, the effectiveness of the training can be measured remotely, whether they attend the training or not, and the researcher can send their requests and questions via live support, thus preventing possible complications, reducing patient care costs and re-use. It is thought that it will reduce hospitalizations, increase the self-care power of patients by becoming self-sufficient, and therefore increase their self-efficacy levels and quality of life. It is predicted that patients' satisfaction with health care services will increase as their quality of life and self-care abilities will increase when they are closely monitored one-on-one after the surgery.