When considering whether to have joint replacement surgery, it is helpful having trusted information at the start of the journey, that enables patients to feel assured and empowered to partake in shared decision-making with health professionals. That’s where the NJR Patient Decision Support Tool (PDST) provides a helpful and informative resource.

Developed by the NJR, in collaboration with researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Bristol, and with funding from Versus Arthritis, this easy-to-use online tool enables patients to better understand what they can expect in terms of their potential outcomes in having hip or knee replacement surgery.

By entering information on symptoms and current physical circumstances, the tool provides personalised results on likely improvements; the chances of needing another operation in the future; and on any associated risks with the procedure. In providing this information, patients considering surgery can liaise with their healthcare professionals to further discuss their own considerations around their surgery. The tool is not a substitute for expert opinion, so is best used in conjunction with healthcare professionals.

We also recently developed another tool for patient use that can predict adverse outcome after shoulder surgery, by providing information about the risks. The tool uses a few common details, including age, sex and past medical history, to estimate the chances of experiencing an adverse outcome within 90 days of surgery.

The NJR S-Predict tool, designed by researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Bristol and the University of Copenhagen, uses data from the registry and has demonstrated the ability to accurately predict many patients’ estimated risk.

If you, or someone you know, is considering joint replacement surgery, why not take a few minutes to use the NJR tools and to produce bespoke reports which can be printed and then brought to any healthcare consultation.

Visit them here: https://www.njrcentre.org.uk/patients/patient-decision-support-tool