Introduction: The patient's perception of postoperative medical advice effectively affects treatment outcomes. Some factors, including education level, patient-physician communication, and financial limitations, can affect the patient's perception. This study assessed the patient’s perception of medical recommendations after orthopedic surgery.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients who referred for postoperative follow-up visit during the first half of 2022. Two separate questionnaires, for patients' and companions' questions and a surgeon's recommendations form, were designed and were asked to patients and their companions 10 minutes after finishing the visit. Education level, marital status, and city of residence were assessed among the samples. Also, the data were analyzed by R software.
Results: Literacy level was significantly related to patient perception (P-value = 0.004). In 15.9%, neither the patient nor the companions understood the surgeon’s recommendations (Kapa Coefficient = 0.34).
Conclusion: Perception of the post-surgical recommendations at the postoperative follow-up is important in the final outcomes of orthopedic surgery. The patient's literacy level can affect the patient's perception.