Waiting times and patient perspectives for total hip and knee arthroplasty in rural and urban Ontario.

BACKGROUND: The demand for total hip and total knee arthroplasties is increasing as are the waiting times for these procedures. Because of the differences between rural and urban areas in terms of the provision of arthroplasty services and between the 2 patient groups, patient perspectives of waiting times may also be different. METHODS: To compare waiting times for initial orthopedic consultation and total hip and knee arthroplasties in rural …