Online toolkit for treating infections after hip replacement ops
A new online resource has been launched by UK researchers to help healthcare professionals treat patients with infections following hip replacement surgery.
The team behind the guidance said that, although infection after hip replacement surgery was relatively rare at around one in 100, the impact on patients’ lives could be devastating.
“The aim of the website and resources is to provide more information to help healthcare professionals”
Andrew Moore
As a result, they have developed a website and toolkit to help clinicians understand and implement best-practice guidelines on treating and supporting patients with prosthetic hip joint infection.
The aim of the guidelines is to ensure that patients with infection after hip replacement surgery receive prompt and effective care and have the best chance of a good outcome, they said.
They highlighted that the new online resource was designed for nurses, surgeons, doctors, physiotherapists and other staff who support patients who have had joint replacement surgery.
The website includes a series of short films explaining each section of the guidelines, plus a toolkit with downloadable resources for different healthcare professionals.
The new guidance is the result of the INFORM: EP (INFection and ORthopaedic Managment: Evidence into Practice) study.
The study was based on evidence from a successful six-year research programme called INFORM, led by the University of Bristol and funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Key takeaways from the research were that it was important to remain “vigilant” to the possibility of prosthetic joint infection in patients after joint replacement surgery, especially those at high risk.
In addition, prosthetic joint infection needs to be identified quickly and treated by a specialist orthopaedic team, the guidelines state.
Meanwhile, clinicians are advised not to treat suspected prosthetic joint infection in the community with broad spectrum antibiotics.
In order to improve their chances of a better outcome, they should be referred urgently to the orthopaedic team for assessment, noted the guidelines.
Dr Andrew Moore, lead researcher for the INFORM Evidence into Practice study, said: “The aim of the website and resources is to provide more information to help healthcare professionals to use the INFORM guidelines and resources to enable better outcomes for patients with prosthetic infection.”
Professor Ashley Blom, the orthopaedic surgeon who led the INFORM study team, said: “The INFORM EP study focussed on turning evidence into practice, working in partnership with healthcare professionals and medical centres around the country.
“The guidelines were developed with input from patients with lived experience of the negative impacts of hip joint infection,” he said.
“Understanding and adhering to these evidence-based, best-practice guidelines can help to improve treatment pathways, and outcomes for patients,” he added.
