Web-Based Conversational Assistant After Total Knee Arthroplasty (CARE-TKA)

July 23, 2026 updated by: Wojciech Sroga

Evaluation of a Web-Based Conversational Postoperative Assistant on Patient Satisfaction and Exercise Adherence After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Protocol of a Pragmatic Randomized Pilot Study With 6-Week Follow-up

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most frequently performed elective orthopaedic procedures. Following hospital discharge, patients must manage pain, wound care and home rehabilitation with limited professional support. This pragmatic randomised pilot trial will evaluate whether a web-based conversational postoperative assistant, used in addition to standard care, improves patient satisfaction and exercise adherence during the first 6 weeks after TKA. Forty to sixty patients undergoing primary elective TKA will be randomised 1:1 to standard care with or without access to the conversational assistant. The primary outcome is overall patient satisfaction at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes include pain intensity, exercise adherence, unplanned healthcare contacts and postoperative complications.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This single-centre pragmatic randomized pilot trial will evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a web-based conversational postoperative assistant following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either standard postoperative care alone or standard care plus access to the conversational assistant for 6 weeks after surgery.

The assistant provides evidence-based postoperative education, recovery guidance, answers to common patient questions, and safety-oriented recommendations. The primary outcome is overall patient satisfaction at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes include pain intensity, exercise adherence, unplanned healthcare contacts, and postoperative complications. The study is designed to generate preliminary evidence to support the development of a larger definitive randomized controlled trial.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Alicante
      • Alcoy, Alicante, Spain, 03803
        • Hospital Universitario Virgen de los Lirios
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Wojciech Sroga, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Primary, unilateral, elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
  • Discharged to home following surgery.
  • Ability to use a smartphone or tablet with internet access (patient or caregiver).
  • Written informed consent provided.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Revision or bilateral simultaneous TKA.
  • Major postoperative complication precluding home discharge (e.g., admission to intensive care, unplanned return to theatre, or haemodynamic instability).
  • Severe cognitive impairment precluding informed consent or device use.
  • No access to an internet-enabled device.
  • Inability or refusal to complete follow-up.
  • Participation in another interventional study at enrolment.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention
Participants receive standard postoperative care plus access to a web-based conversational postoperative assistant for 6 weeks after primary total knee arthroplasty.
Behavioral: Web-based conversational postoperative assistant
Participants assigned to the intervention group receive access to a web-based conversational assistant for 6 weeks after primary total knee arthroplasty. The assistant provides evidence-based postoperative education, recovery guidance, answers to common patient questions, and safety-oriented recommendations. It is available on demand and complements, but does not replace, standard postoperative care.
No Intervention: Control
Participants receive standard postoperative care without access to the web-based conversational postoperative assistant.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Overall patient satisfaction measured using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 indicates not satisfied at all and 10 indicates completely satisfied.
6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 2 weeks and 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Pain intensity measured using an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain.
2 weeks and 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Exercise Adherence
Time Frame: During the first 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Exercise adherence assessed as the percentage of prescribed home exercise sessions completed, based on the participant's exercise diary.
During the first 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Unplanned Healthcare Contacts
Time Frame: During the first 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Number of unplanned healthcare contacts related to the operated knee, including primary care visits, emergency department visits, outpatient consultations, and hospital readmissions.
During the first 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Postoperative Complications
Time Frame: During the first 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty
Occurrence of postoperative complications related to the surgical procedure.
During the first 6 weeks after total knee arthroplasty

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Wojciech Sroga

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 28, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 23, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HGUVL-TKA-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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