Medical Staff and Physiotherapy Role in Total Knee Replacement.

Author(s): Safa Abdalrhman, Umsalma Elyas, Hassan Abdelnour, Tariq Abdulmagid, Abdulmajeed Almalty, Malaz Adam

Introduction
A Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is a surgical operation in which artifcial material is used to replace the damaged knee joint. Total knee arthroplasty is regarded as one of the most economically efficient and reliably successful surgical procedures conducted in the field of orthopedics. Globally, TKR is becoming more common and over 700,000 TKR arthroplasties were carried out in the United States (USA) in the year of 2012 only1.  In Sudan, there is a significant rise in the number of TKR surgeries.  Patient-reported outcomes are shown to improve dramatically with respect to pain relief, functional restoration, and improved quality of life (QoL). Medical personnel, including physiotherapists, have a close teamwork relationship when it comes to TKR rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to ascertain medical personnel's perception toward physiotherapy's role in treating TKR.
Methodology
The viewpoint of medical staff regarding the role of physiotherapy in controlling TKRwas ascertained using a crosssectional survey utilizing questionnaires. A total of 60 medical personnel involved in the care of TKR patients at Shurg Alneel Hospital and the Military Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, which were chosen for this study. The data were analyzed using version 31 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). All ethical considerations have been acquired.
Results
There were 33% of the participants perceive strengthening exercises as the role of physiotherapy in TKR.  Majority (50%) of participants strongly agree that physiotherapy plays a significant role in the treatment of TKR. There were 67% of participants who strongly agree with the inclusion of physiotherapists in the rehabilitation team for TKR. Majority (83%) of participants experience effective communication with physiotherapists within the rehabilitation team.
Conclusion
Among the few physiotherapists, considerable efforts are being made in the rehabilitation program for TKR with other medical staff.