Mobile Application Based Care for Total Knee Prosthesis Patients

Total knee prosthesis (TKP); It is a surgical treatment used in the management of functional limitations and severe pain occurring on the degenerated joint surface as a result of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, posttraumatic arthritis and other nonspecific arthritis. Nursing care is of great importance in the success of TKP surgery. Reducing pain, preventing complications, increasing self-care ability, and improving the quality of life by improving postoperative knee functions are the main goals of postoperative nursing care. In order to achieve these goals, patients and their relatives need to receive training on home care in the post-operative period before discharge. With the increasing use of mobile technologies in daily life and the increasing adoption of e-health, the opportunity for people to improve their self-management skills through e-health is increasing. Mobile Health (m-Health) provides convenience in many areas such as educating the public, warning about potential diseases and disease risks, and communicating with messages, notifications and video when necessary. It also affects the way nursing services are delivered and provides great benefits in the delivery of nursing services. For all these reasons, it was aimed to examine the effect of mobile application-supported care given to patients with total knee prosthesis on functional status and self-care ability.

The population of the research will consist of patients who underwent total knee prosthesis (TKP) surgery in Sinop Atatürk State Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology Service between March 2024 and March 2025. The sample will consist of a total of 60 patients, 30 patients in the intervention group and 30 patients in the control group, who meet the inclusion criteria for the study. Patients who are 18 years of age or older, literate, have undergone unilateral total knee prosthesis for the first time, have a smartphone, have a score of 89 or above on the "Mobile Learning Readiness (MLD) Scale" and volunteer to participate in the study will be included in the study. Research data will be collected three times: on the day of discharge, 3rd week and 6th week after surgery, using the Descriptive Patient Form, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Self-Care Power Scale. Individuals with TKP in the intervention group will be asked to use the Knee Prosthesis Mobile application (Knee Prosthesis-M) for six weeks. During this process, individuals with TKP in the control group will be ensured to receive standard care. All interviews will be conducted face to face.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Who are 18 years or older
* Being literate
* For the first time, unilateral total knee prosthesis was applied
* Having a smart phone
* Scoring 89 or above on the "Mobile learning readiness (MLD) scale"
* Patients who volunteer to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Having speech, hearing and visual impairments
* Having a neurological medical diagnosis that affects cognitive status
* Patients with a psychiatric medical diagnosis
* Not using the mobile application at all
* Notification messages are turned off for 72 hours and cannot be reached by phone after this period
* Interrupting communication before data collection processes are completed
* Wanting to leave the study voluntarily