Background: Arthroplasty is an effective treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis of the knee and is one of Germany's most frequently performed orthopedic procedures.
Discussion: However, a considerable number of patient are not satisfied with the results after knee arthroplasty. The patient's perspective is particularly important for shared decision making. "Patient satisfaction" with the surgery is an expression of the patient's perspective, but might not be sufficient as the only outcome measure. There is no international consensus which outcome measures should be used after knee arthroplasty.
Conclusion: Therefore, different measurement tools are used for the acquisition of a variety of outcome measures in order to quantify the results of knee arthroplasty. These tools should be used according to their reliability, validity, and responsiveness. This article provides an overview about available measurement tools.