Yoeri Bemelmans

Chapter 8 134 satisfaction and function with a reduction in length of stay. A limitation of the present study is the methodological quality of the included studies. There are no multicentre randomized controlled trials comparing the conventional with the outpatient pathway. In order to create general applicable patient selection criteria with a multidisciplinary approach, theexpert opinionswere reviewed. Besides thepresenteddifferencesbetween THA and TKA risk factors for OJA, literature is inconclusive to establish specific patient selection criteria for either hip- or knee arthroplasty. The presented results provide a basis for patient selection criteria in daily practice, but on the other hand highlighting the need for further development of these criteria. Further research needs to identify the patients who will do well with the outpatient procedure and those who will do better with the more traditional care. Today, this twopronged type of clinical “pathway” research is essential for patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Conclusion In this review, an evidence and expert opinion-based summary of patient selection criteria are presented to prevent prolonged hospital stay, AEs and readmissions following OJA. These criteria can be useful when selecting patients for OJA. With a change in mindset, literature-based protocols and patient selection criteria, outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty can be applied in daily orthopaedic practice while ensuring patients’ safety. Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their gratitude to all the involved physicians from the different departments in our hospital, which collaborated on this paper. We also thank Dr. A. F. Chen from the Rothman Institute, Philadelphia, USA, who served as external reader, and for her comments that greatly improved the manuscript. Compliance with ethical standards Conflict of interest One of the authors (NK) is a paid consultant for Zimmer-Biomet. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. No financial support was received for this study.