How Do Surgeries Affect the Spouse/Partner?

How do total knee arthroplasty surgeries affect the spouse/partner of the patient? A research team from the Psychology and Orthopedics departments of McGill University in Montreal teamed up to find out. Their work, “Marital Functioning and Spouse-Reported Improvements in Quality of Life after Joint Arthroplasty,” is currently under peer review for inclusion in an orthopedic journal.

Co-author and orthopedic surgeon Michael Tanzer, M.D., the Jo Miller Chair and associate surgeon-in-chief in the Department of Surgery at McGill University Health Centre explained to OTW how this avenue of research started. “I frequently receive thank you cards from patients telling me how their hip or knee replacement has improved their quality of life. I then received a thank you card, not from the patient, but from his spouse. She thanked me for improving her quality of life and their marriage. This led me to appreciate the effect this surgery had not only on the patient, but their spouse as well. This led me to further evaluate the effect of hip/knee arthroplasty on the patient’s partner.”

Clear Benefits to Spouse/Partner

“This survey study highlights the many benefits of hip and knee arthroplasty surgery not only for the patient, but also for their spouse/partner. Importantly, we have demonstrated that the subjective benefits of surgery extend to spouses/partners of arthroplasty patients. After the surgery, the spouses/partners indicated that their lives had improved with respect to partaking in physical and leisure activities with their spouse/partner. They also perceived less partner suffering, had more independence with less caregiving, and consequently, it improved their marital relationship.”

“This study indicates that THA [total hip arthroplasty] and TKA [total knee arthroplasty] result in a significant improvement in quality of life not only for the patients, but also for their spouses/partners. The effect on the patient’s partner should be taken into account when deciding with the patient whether or not surgery is indicated.”

Spouse/Partner-Centered Care

“In the era of patient-centered care, it should be recognized that hip and knee arthroplasty have the potential to improve the quality of life and marital relationship not only for the patient, but for the spouse as well.”