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Clinic wait time is considered an important predictor of patient satisfaction. The goal of this study was to determine whether patient satisfaction among orthopedic patients is associated with clinic wait time and time with the provider. The authors prospectively enrolled 182 patients at their outpatient orthopedic clinic. Clinic wait time was defined as the time between patient check-in and being seen by the surgeon. Time spent with the provider was defined as the total time the patient spent in the examination room with the surgeon. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey was used to measure patient satisfaction. Factors associated with increased patient satisfaction included patient age and increased time with the surgeon (P=.024 and P=.037, respectively), but not clinic wait time (P=.625). Perceived wait time was subject to a high level of error, and most patients did not accurately report whether they had been waiting longer than 15 minutes to see a provider until they had waited at least 60 minutes (P=.007). If the results of the current study are generalizable, time with the surgeon is associated with patient satisfaction in orthopedic clinics, but wait time is not. Further, the study findings showed that patients in this setting did not have an accurate perception of actual wait time, with many patients underestimating the time they waited to see a provider. Thus, a potential strategy for improving patient satisfaction is to spend more time with each patient, even at the expense of increased wait time. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(1):43-48.].

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BackgroundSerum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are important tests in the initial diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection. Many surgeons also use these tests to determine if infection has resolved between stages of a 2-stage procedure, but little data exist regarding this practice.MethodsA retrospective review of our institutional total joint databases was conducted to determine sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of elevated ESR and/or CRP to diagnose persistent infection between stages.ResultsAmong 16 knees and 5 hips, sensitivity was 50% for CRP, 75% for ESR, and 100% when combined. The negative predictive value of persistent infection was 100% when neither test was elevated.ConclusionsResults of this study support the use of CRP and ESR as indicators of the resolution of periprosthetic joint infection between stages of 2-stage revision.

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate outcomes of patients denied total hip (THA) or knee arthroplasty (TKA) due to morbid obesity. Methods: We performed an observational study of patients denied arthroplasty due to morbid obesity. A survey including the Harris Hip Score or pain and function components of the original Knee Society Score (KSS) was conducted with minimum 2-year follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed with parametric testing with significance at P < .05. Results: In total, 125 (4.4%) of 2819 patients were denied THA or TKA due to morbid obesity. Twenty-four (19.2%) met target weight and underwent arthroplasty at our institution. Of the remaining 101 (80.8%) patients, 33 (32.7%) agreed to participate in the survey. None received THA and 6 received TKA elsewhere above target body mass index. Harris Hip Score was significantly higher in the successful weight loss cohort at our institution (70.5 ± 13.4 vs 34.6 ± 13.1). KSS Pain (maximum score of 50) and Function (maximum score of 100) were significantly higher in the successful weight loss cohort at our institution (32.9 ± 16.5; 51.1 ± 19.5) compared to the denied nonoperative cohort (7.2 ± 11.5; 33.0 ± 23.1); however, only KSS Pain was higher when compared to the TKA elsewhere cohort (14.2 ± 18.0; 29.2 ± 38.7). KSS Pain and Function were similar for both denial cohorts regardless of undergoing arthroplasty. Conclusion: Nearly 80% of patients denied never met target weight for arthroplasty. Those who met target weight prior to arthroplasty often reported better outcomes. Outcomes were similar when target weight was not met regardless of undergoing arthroplasty.