Family involvement in perioperative education is beneficial to improve postoperative recovery outcomes and caregivers' experiences of patients after Total Knee or Hip Arthroplasty. Since patients are dependent on family members to meet their care needs immediately after discharge from the hospital after prosthetics, these individuals need to be equipped with sufficient knowledge and practical skills through education. Family members who provide quality care during recovery can contribute to reducing TKA/THA-related postsurgical complications and hospital readmissions and associated medical costs (e.g., ∼$20,000 per revision surgery).

In 2004, the Institute for Family Centered Care (IPFCC) defined family-centered care as mutually beneficial partnerships between healthcare providers, patients, and families in healthcare planning, delivery, and evaluation. Family-centered care has taken its place in the literature as a care model recommended to meet the needs of not only the patient but also the family members. The Family Centered Empowerment Model (FCEM) helps plan, implement and evaluate healthcare services through mutual partnerships of patients and families. Family-centered empowerment provides opportunities for family caregivers to gain knowledge and skills so that they can best manage family life and ultimately improve the lifestyles and quality of life of all family members. FCEM emphasizes individual agency and the role of other family members in three dimensions: motivational, psychological (self-esteem and self-control), and problematic individual characteristics (knowledge, attitudes, and perceived threat). Family empowerment has three main characteristics, including the ability to review necessary educational resources, the ability to make decisions and problem-solve, and the ability to communicate to meet current needs. Nurses play an important role by actively listening through reflective interaction to improve patients' understanding of their situation, problem-solving abilities, and control of their lives. Therefore, FCEM components are included in the nursing process. FCEM includes four main steps: (1) threat perception, (2) self-efficacy, (3) self-esteem, and (4) evaluation. Therefore, to achieve the best outcome, FCEM is expected to simultaneously increase knowledge, skills, values, and self-confidence and self-control beliefs in patients and their families. Studies have shown that ongoing education and empowerment of primary caregivers can significantly reduce patient readmission and mortality.

The effects of FCEM have been studied in various diseases. It has been proven that AMGM administration can improve the lifestyles of patients with heart failure. The effects of FCEM on reducing the care burden of caregivers of children with epilepsy and reducing perceived threats in heart failure patients have also been confirmed. However, only one study was found regarding the impact of using this model on caregivers of TKA and their family members. The results of this research show that adopting FCEM increases patient motivation and self-care effectiveness, promotes recovery of knee function in the short term after surgery, and reduces the likelihood of complications. There are gaps in the literature regarding the general experience and educational needs of family members of patients with TKA. First, previous research on caregivers' experiences has mostly used quantitative research methods and focused on caregiver burden. Secondly, it is thought that caregivers should be included in the research process to better understand the impact of TKA surgery on the caregivers of these patients. To improve the caregiving experience and ensure quality patient care, training that directly targets the needs of family caregivers should be implemented. There is limited research on supports such as family caregiver training or empowerment program after TKA.