The Hip Instructional Prehabilitation Program for Enhanced Recovery (HIPPER) as an eHealth Approach to Presurgical Hip Replacement Education: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA), leading to hip replacement (THR), is a primary contributor to global mobility impairment. In 2018, more than 59,000 THR surgeries were performed in Canada. Health promotion education, such as prehabilitation, is vital to optimizing surgical outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the Hip Instructional Prehabilitation Program for Enhanced Recovery (HIPPER), an eHealth approach to prehabilitation education. METHODS: A single-blind (assessor-blind), 2-arm, feasibility randomized controlled trial will be conducted. We will recruit 40 (HIPPER group, n=20; control group, n=20) older adults with hip OA and on a waitlist for a THR. The HIPPER intervention consists of 12 online, interactive modules. The control group will receive the current standard practice consisting of 2 online educational sessions lasting 2 hours each (webinars). Feasibility outcomes (eg, recruitment and retention rates) will be evaluated. RESULTS: Recruitment started in March 2021. As of April 20, 2021, 18 participants were recruited. All 18 completed T1 measures. Only 1 participant has been scheduled to have a surgery and therefore has been scheduled to complete T2 measures. The remainder of the participants are waiting to be notified of their surgery date. This project was funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant. Our institute’s research ethics board approved this study in November 2016. CONCLUSIONS: Results will lead to refinement of the HIPPER protocol in order to evaluate a standardized and geographically accessible prehabilitation program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02969512; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02969512 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/29322