No abstract

The proportion for personnel costs (medical, nursing, med.-tech.) of total costs was higher in Germany (41%) than Austria (26.6%) and Switzerland (39.9%). Implant costs were proportionally nearly the same in Austria (29.5%) than Germany (28%) and Switzerland (28.7%). Administration was proportionally higher in Austria (26.8%) than Germany (19.1%) and Switzerland (11.3%). To lower the costs, the expenses for personnel and implants must be reduced. Ultimately, the potential for hospitals to save costs can be found here.

The questionnaire reliably measures symptoms and disabilities in orthopaedic disease. Interactive collection of patient history renders it more objective. The questionnaire can be used in outpatient consultations, for initial and differential diagnosis, to improve communication, and to measure outcome.

Calculation of the REPP and the subsequent allocation to outcome groups is simple. The distribution of outcomes depends on the intervention (THR results better than TKR) and the patient questionnaire used (better results with a condition-specific than a generic questionnaire). The proportion of "unchanged" and "moderate" outcomes was greater with the generic questionnaire than with the condition-specific questionnaire, while the proportion of "worse" outcomes was similar for the two instruments. Partitioning of the degree of success into sub-groups, based on the REPP, provides more information for both the patient and the orthopaedic surgeon.

The WOMAC and the SF-36 are valid measures of the outcomes of THR in their German translations and document the good results after THR. Two years after THR the patients reach the same health state compared to an age matched control group in the population. The WOMAC contains more questions of higher responsiveness than the SF-36. A higher pain score postoperatively may be caused by degenerative disease of the lumbar spine.