Prompt: Total Hip Replacement Patient Education Letter
A copy-paste-ready prompt for drafting a clear patient education letter about total hip replacement — what to expect, recovery milestones, and long-term precautions.
Total Hip Replacement Patient Education Letter
Use this prompt to draft an education letter for a patient who is about to have, or has just had, a total hip replacement. Review the output against your unit's current protocol and surgical approach before use.
Draft a patient education letter about total hip replacement for
a patient aged [[patient_age — e.g. "71"]], having the procedure
for [[indication — e.g. "end-stage osteoarthritis of the right hip"]].
Surgical approach: [[approach — e.g. "posterior approach with
capsular repair" or "anterior approach"]].
Cover:
- What the operation involves — brief and non-technical
- Hip precautions post-surgery: [[precautions — e.g.
"no hip flexion beyond 90 degrees, no crossing legs,
no rotating leg inwards — for 6 weeks" or
"no specific precautions required with anterior approach"]]
- Expected recovery milestones: [[milestones — e.g.
"walking with frame day one, crutches at 2 weeks,
walking independently by 6–8 weeks for most patients"]]
- Return to daily activities: driving, stairs, bathing:
[[daily_activities — e.g. "driving at 6 weeks,
stairs from day one with bannister, bathing when wound healed"]]
- Long-term: how long the joint replacement lasts in general terms
(do not give specific statistics), activities to avoid long-term
- Warning signs: [[warning_signs — e.g. "sudden severe pain,
clicking or clunking, wound problems, fever, leg shortening"]]
Tone: warm, practical, and informative.
Do not include specific drug names or doses. Maximum 450 words.
Why this works
Including the surgical approach in the prompt is important — hip precautions vary significantly between posterior and anterior approaches. A letter that includes unnecessary precautions after an anterior approach will restrict the patient unnecessarily. A letter that omits necessary precautions after a posterior approach creates a dislocation risk.
How to tweak it
- For a patient who is a carer for a dependent relative and is worried about how long they will be unable to care for them, add: "Include a realistic note about when the patient is likely to be able to resume light caring responsibilities — and suggest arranging alternative support in advance."
- For a patient with a contralateral hip that also has arthritis, add: "Include a note that the other hip may also need attention in the future, and that this will be discussed at follow-up."
Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.
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