In Japan, most of the osteoarthritis of the hip is secondary due to congenital dislocation of the hip or acetabular dysplasia. Total hip arthroplasty is generally performed as the operative method for treating hip osteoarthritis, but conservative operative methods are recommended for younger patients. Joint congruity is judged good for the hip joint in which the joint surface of the femoral head is parallel to the acetabular joint surface. In the case of an incongruent hip joint, the load concentrates and becomes larger per unit area of the joint. Joint incongruence is found in the early or advanced stage of the hip osteoarthritis. The femoral osteotomy should be performed when joint congruity is improved in the hip abduction or adduction position. Walking exercise begins 2 or 3 days postoperatively, and passive motion exercise is performed as soon as possible. Weight bearing on the operated hip should be limited for the protection of the joint cartilage. In the case of preserving joint space preoperatively, walking with a single crutch is allowed 2 or 3 months after the operation. If there was no or only a narrow joint space before the operation, it is recommended that two crutches be retained for 6 months and that one crutch then be used for another 6 months. Good results in clinical and radiological findings are maintained in 80% or more 10 years after the operation.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a measurement tool to quantify the quality of communication and cooperation among health care providers in a region. A total of 476 health care professionals were enrolled. For the 25-item scale, the internal consistency was excellent. Factor analyses identified 7 underlying factors, such as easy communication with health care providers in other institutions, understanding the role of other disciplines in the region, and knowing the face, name, and the way of thinking. The total score had weak negative but significant correlations with the cooperation subscale of the Palliative care Difficulties Scale. The total score was also significantly associated with the general evaluation of communication and cooperation in the region, the number of participations in whole-region multidisciplinary conferences, the number of persons to whom the respondent could ask about palliative care in the region, and clinical experience in the region. In conclusion, this scale can measure the quality of communication and cooperation among health care providers in a region with acceptable reliability and validity.

Purpose: This study was conducted to verify the reliability and validity of a scale evaluating the quality of communication and cooperation among medical, nursing, and welfare services in a region. Methods: To apply "a measure to quantify the quality of communication and cooperation among health care providers in a region" (Morita et al, 2013) developed for health care professionals engaged in the care of homebound patients to broader profession and disease categories, the measure was modified to newly establish the 26-item "measure to quantify the quality of communication and cooperation among medical, nursing, and welfare services in a region." In total, 362 health care professionals were enrolled in this study. Results: The internal consistency was excellent. Exploratory factor analyses identified the factor structure as being identical to that of the original scale. The total score had negative but significant correlations with subscales for difficulties in regional cooperation on the Palliative Care Difficulties Scale. The total score was also significantly associated with the general evaluation of communication and cooperation in the region, the number of participations in whole-region multidisciplinary conferences, and the number of persons to whom the respondent could inquire about support. Conclusion: This scale may be useful for describing the extent of global communication and cooperation among medical, nursing, and welfare services in a region.