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Knowledge of national practice patterns and incorporation of the information into clinical practice can reduce the patient's risk of unsafe or ineffective care while promoting positive patient outcomes. Nurses can use these data to adjust clinical pathways and practice standards to improve patient outcomes.

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Long-term studies are needed to determine clinically relevant outcomes within the practice of orthopedic surgery. Historically, the patient's subjective feelings of quality of life have been largely ignored. However, there has been a strong movement toward measuring perceived quality of life through such instruments as the SF-36. In a large database from an orthopedic practice results are presented. First, computerized data entry using touch screen technology is not only cost effective but user friendly. Second, patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty surgeries make statistically significant improvements in seven of the eight domains of the SF-36 in the first 3 months after surgery. Additional statistically significant improvements over the next 6 to 12 months are also seen. The data are presented here in detail to demonstrate the benefits of a patient outcomes program, to enhance the understanding and use of outcomes data and to encourage further work in outcomes measurement in orthopedics.

Over the past several years there has been an increased effort to document outcomes, especially in the area of orthopaedics. Outcomes research is important because it can quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate changes in a patient's condition, provide validation of clinical procedures, and impact upon patient satisfaction. Outcomes research is similar to traditional research in that it looks at a group of patients or a patient care process and focuses on the outcomes of treatment or care. An outcomes program is the infrastructure necessary to collect and analyze outcomes data within a scientifically sound framework. The steps of developing an outcomes program include identifying key players in the process, identifying the diagnoses and procedures to track in the program, deciding outcomes to measure, identifying instruments to be used, developing the data collection process, establishing a timeline, and developing the data entry and analysis process. A successful outcomes program is the product of a collaborative team effort. With knowledge of the necessary components and effective teamwork, it is relatively simple to establish a successful outcomes program.