OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and patients’ knowledge of orthopaedic implants (hip-, knee- and spine implants) and fracture fixation devices, as well as to examine their impact on patients’ everyday lives.

METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was carried out involving a representative sample (N=1400) of the 40+ years old Hungarian population. Participants were asked to report whether they were living with orthopaedic or fracture fixation implant(s). Patients with implants were asked to indicate on visual analogue scales (VAS, 0-10) how familiar they are with the 1) general instructions for use and 2) safety requirements of the device they are wearing, as well as how confident they are that they would be able to recognise 3) problems that need medical control. Descriptive statistics were used to examine sample characteristics, between groups differences were assessed by parametric and non-parametric tests.

RESULTS: Altogether, 131 (9.4%) participants (mean age 62.3 SD=11.1 years; 48.9% women) indicated that they were wearing at least one orthopaedic implant or fracture fixation device at the time of the survey. The distributions were as follows: 58.9% had bone fracture device, 24.4% hip-, 14.5% knee- and 13.7% spine implants. The most positive impact on life was reported for hip-, while the least positive for knee implant. Patients’ level of knowledge was fairly similar as measured on the 1)-3) VAS scales (6.0 SD=3.6, 5.7 SD=3.6 and 5.4 SD=3.5, respectively), but significant (p<0.05) differences were observed by age groups (older individuals having higher knowledge). Higher knowledge was associated with positive life impact of the device (r=0.2622; p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of orthopaedic implants and fracture fixation devices is considerably high in the Hungarian population. Patients with higher knowledge about their device experience better self-perceived outcomes. Our results draw attention to the importance of patient education.