BackgroundHip and knee arthroplasty aims to restore the joint function and to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with articular damage. It is important to quantify the HRQoL improvement and when this is achieved. The Oxford knee score and the Oxford hip score were developed to evaluate patients after knee and hip arthroplasty. We sought to evaluate HRQoL changes in the short and mid term following either primary or revision hip and knee arthroplasty.MethodsProspective cohort study during a 20-month period (August 2013 to March 2015) in a tertiary referral hospital. Primary arthroplasties secondary to osteoarthritis and any-cause revisions were included (328, 160 knees, and 88 hips). They were divided into 4 groups: (1) primary knee replacement, (2) primary hip replacement, (3) revision knee replacement, and (4) revision hip replacement. Oxford knee and hip scores were obtained prior the surgery and compared with the short- and mid-term follow-up scores.ResultsFollow-up in the short term and mid term was: 75.6% and 67.4%, respectively. Improvement was found in both short-term and mid-term follow-up for each group and for the overall group in HRQoL as measured by the Oxford knee and hip scores (P < .001). The greatest improvement was seen in the short term with an increase of 21 points for primary knee arthroplasty; 24 points for primary hip arthroplasty; 22 points for revision knee arthroplasty; and 23 points for revision hip arthroplasty.ConclusionsImprovement in HRQoL in patients following primary or revision hip or knee arthroplasty is crucial and can be achieved early after the surgery.

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Background: The Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) is an assessment tool developed to evaluate quality of life in patients with rotator cuff disease (RCD). The purpose of this study is to translate the WORC index into Spanish and to evaluate its reproducibility and internal consistency in patients with RCD. Methods: Following guidelines from literature, the WORC index was translated. Sixty patients with RCD were asked to complete the questionnaire. To evaluate reliability, they were asked to answer it for a second time within the next 14 days. The Cronbach’s α (CA) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated to determine test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Bland-Altman plot and reliable change index (RCI) were used to evaluate measurement error. Results: Cronbach’s α was 0.96 for the total WORC score (ranges 0.85-0.94 for the five domains).Excellent test-retest reliability was seen with an ICC of 0.98, with the domains ranging between 0.91-0.97. The Bland-Altman plot showed no systematic differences, and the RCI for the total WORC index was 7.6%. Conclusion: The Spanish version of the WORC index is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating quality of life in patients with RCD and may be used in Spanish speaking countries like Colombia. Level of evidence: Basic Science Study, Development or Validation of Outcomes Instruments/Classification Systems.