Objective | To gain insight in patients’ perspectives of the factors influencing return to work following knee replacement. |
Setting | A single secondary care setting in a large teaching hospital in northern England. |
Methods | Ten semistructured interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a qualitative thematic approach. |
Results | Three themes identified: delays in surgical intervention, limited and often inconsistent advice from health care professionals regarding return to work, and absence of rehabilitation to optimize recovery and facilitate return to work. |
Conclusion | The identified themes all contribute to potential delays in successful return to work. There is a need to tailor health care intervention to this cohort of patients to optimize outcomes. |