When you are deciding whether to go ahead with a hip or knee replacement, one of the first questions you will ask is a simple one: “Will it work?” It is the right question — but an honest answer is more nuanced than a single success rate. This is where PROMs come in, and it is why Mr Kosuge was delighted to have been interviewed by PHIN, the Private Healthcare Information Network recently.
What are PROMs?
PROMs stands for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures. They are short questionnaires — usually five to ten minutes to complete — that you fill in before your treatment and again at intervals afterwards. Rather than judging your recovery from a clinical examination or x-rays only, they ask you directly how you feel and how well you can manage everyday activities: walking, climbing stairs, sleeping, getting dressed and returning to the things you enjoy.
Why an x-ray does not tell the whole story
A joint replacement can look normal on an X-ray but still leave a patient not experiencing the improvement they had hoped for. What matters to you is not how the implant looks on a screen; it is whether you can get back to your life with less pain. PROMs capture exactly that: the outcome as you experience it, not just as it is assessed it in the out-patient clinic setting.
Giving you a more personalised answer
Mr Kosuge finds PROMs valuable as they allow him to give a far more individualised answer about what you can realistically expect. General success rates are a useful starting point, but they treat every patient as the same. In reality, outcomes vary with your age, your general health, your activity levels and the specifics of your condition. PROM data — gathered across many patients and then matched to circumstances like yours — helps Mr Kosuge paint a clearer, more honest picture of your likely recovery, rather than quoting a one-size-fits-all figure.
How PROMs help you as a patient
For you, tracking outcomes this way means you can:
• Make a more informed decision about whether surgery is right for you
• Set realistic expectations for your recovery timeline
• Track your own progress in the weeks and months afterwards
• Gain reassurance that things are moving in the right direction
• Flag any issue early that a routine check might otherwise miss
The bigger picture
There is a wider benefit too. When PROMs data is brought together across many patients, it helps the whole profession understand which treatments work best for which groups of people. Every questionnaire a patient completes feeds into better, more tailored advice for those who come after them. It is one of the quiet ways private healthcare is becoming more transparent and accountable — something Mr Kosuge strongly supports.
Your options
If you are weighing up hip or knee surgery and would like a clear, realistic conversation about what it could mean for you specifically, Mr Kosuge would be glad to help. You can review Mr Kosuge’s outcomes on this website or book a consultation at Rivers Hospital in Sawbridgeworth.
To book an appointment with Mr Kosuge at The Rivers Hospital:
Telephone: 01279 602675