The Effects of Postdischarge Telephone Counseling and Short Message Service on the Knee Function, Activities of Daily Living, and Life Satisfaction of Patients Undergoing Total Knee Replacement.

BACKGROUND: No study comparing short message service (SMS) texts and telephone counseling for patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) has been reported.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to provide postdischarge telephone counseling and SMS texts to TKR patients and to analyze the effects of these services on their knee function (KF), activities of daily living (ADL), and life satisfaction (LS).

METHODS: This study used a randomized clinical trial design. This study was conducted with 40 patients (counseling group: 21; SMS group: 19). In the telephone counseling group and the SMS group, KF, ADL, and LS were assessed before surgery and 1 and 3 months after TKR.

RESULTS: Telephone counseling and SMS texts have the same effects on KF, ADL, and LS of TKR patients.

CONCLUSION: Future research is needed to determine optimal frequency and duration of post-TKR SMS to support patients who have undergone TKR.