Author Interviews, JAMA, Orthopedics, Race/Ethnic Diversity, Surgical Research / 19.05.2020
Why Do Black Women Do Less Well After Knee Replacement?
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Alyson Cavanaugh, PT, PhD
Joint Doctoral Program in Epidemiology
University of California, San Diego/ San Diego State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: More than 700,000 total knee replacements are performed annually in the United States, but there is a racial disparity in outcomes after the surgery. If the knee replacement procedure is considered a highly effective treatment, why don't black women present with the same outcomes as whites?
Physical function when going into surgery has a large impact on the potential functional outcomes after surgery. Our hypothesis was that black women were presenting to surgery with poorer physical function, which was contributing to poorer functional outcomes after surgery.
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