Preparing for Surgery: Kristie Francioni Shares the Patient Education Process

You can feel completely confident saying “yes” to a total knee replacement or total hip replacement and still feel anxious afterward. That anxiety doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision—it usually means the unknown feels loud. My goal is to bring the unknown down to size by walking patients through what actually happens from the moment surgery becomes real all the way through the practical details that shape a smooth recovery.

Once a patient decides to move forward, the next steps are straightforward: confirming candidacy with a clinician, reviewing medical history, scheduling pre‑op testing, and receiving clear guidance that carries through post‑op expectations. When education is thorough, patients tend to have fewer last‑minute questions, and tools like step‑by‑step videos, take‑home folders, QR codes, online resources, and nutrition guidance make it easier to learn at a comfortable pace.

I also acknowledge that overwhelm is normal. Surgery brings nerves, and too much information at once can feel like its own stressor. That’s why we keep support human—easy access to call with questions, the option to revisit education, and encouraging patients to bring a coach so a second set of ears can help at home. And if someone isn’t ready for orthopedic surgery yet, we still walk them through non‑surgical options and what their next steps could look like.

If this kind of breakdown is helpful, share it with someone preparing for joint replacement and let me know what part of the process you’d like explained next.

To learn more about The Bone and Joint Center at Magee-Womens Hospital visit:  https://www.pghbjc.com
Dr. Noelle DiGioia Guthrie
300 Halket St. 
Pittsburgh, PA, 15213 
412-683-7272  

To learn more about The Wellness Center for Bone and Joint Health visit:  https://www.boneandjointhealth.org
Tiffany Belculfine
300 Halket St., Suite 1601 
Pittsburgh, PA, 15213 
412-641-8594  

Transcript

Welcome And What We Do

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to the Joint Effort Podcast, where mobility meets reality and your future self says thank you. Your hosts, Dr. Noel DeJoya Guthrie of the Bonin Joint Center at Mickey Women's Hospital, and Tiffany Belkafine, physician assistant at the Wellness Center of Bonin Joint House, serving adults across Western Pennsylvania. If your knees sound like bubble crap, your hips argue with putting on top or your side-eyed stairs, you're in the right place. From our flight synapteoporosis to every day, they'll break it down and build you back up with a personalized plan for real life. The show is information without a substitute for talking to the clinician. Now, let's get you moving. Here are Dr. Noelle and Tiffany.

The Surgical Journey Starts Now

SPEAKER_02 0:54

When a patient decides to move forward with surgery, their journey truly begins. Today we're going to explore what that process looks like and how the right education can make all the difference.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Welcome back, everyone. I'm Dr. Noel DeJoy Guthrie, and this is Tiffany Belcofine. We're back in the studio with Christy Francioni, who is our surgical coordinator at the Bone and Joint Center. So we're very excited to have her here today, bringing a great perspective into the surgical journey for our patients. Today we're going to talk about the important step in the patient journey. So what happens after someone makes that important decision to have surgery, how we educate them and prepare them and set them up for the best success. So we're going to kind of go through step by step. Christy's going to take us through the process. So, Christy, first, what is the first step that patients take once they officially make the decision to have either a total knee or a total hip replacement?

First Step And Candidacy Check

SPEAKER_03 1:48

So the first step would be to meet with one of the clinicians to make sure that they're a good candidate for the surgical procedure.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

And then once they, you know, meet with a clinician and decide that they do, in fact, want to have surgery, how do how do you kind of kick off that role of education and um starting to prepare them for success? What's the first things that you do in the process?

SPEAKER_03 2:09

So I'll take them and I'll meet with them. And it's actually a um a c a little bit of a lengthy process. We do an educate, we go over all of the education, what happens before surgery, all the way until post-operatively. Um so we go over um educational videos, we talk about their health history, we set them up for their pre-testing appointment. Um, and like I said, even up to post-operatively.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

And then when you are encountering those patient appointments and spending that time with them and giving them the idea of what to look forward to and what to anticipate and all the things they need to know, what kind of common concerns do people ask you about?

SPEAKER_03 2:45

Um, a lot of patients ask about the recover what like what their recovery is like. Um we actually don't get a ton of questions because our everything that we go over with them is so detailed and we like you're you have all of the information that you need. You actually get this big folder that has like so much information in it. And the educational video takes you step by step through the process that you see. So um, and patients have access to that um, the video on on our website as well. So they can re-watch it as many times as they like. Um so yeah, there's there's not a ton of questions afterwards because everything's already answered before they even need to ask it.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Great. That's good. I was gonna say so. There's multiple tools and resources that patients can access either in the office or at home to, you know, if there's questions that they didn't comprehend or that they forgot about. So that's good. I so you, you know, you know, in writing and online, any what kind of platform online do you guys have that for educating?

Videos Folders And Online Resources

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Um, so it just the at the Bone and Joint Center website, there's different like patient resources that they can click on click into that. And then we have different um QR codes that are included in the um packet as well. Even in um information on nutrition, like a nutrition guide, like just all kinds of different like helpful tools for for them to use. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Thank you. Yes, it's so helpful to know like people have everything laid out and they know what to expect and anticipating those questions because everybody probably has the same ones. You're right. So that's really nice to know that that's already been thought out for them.

SPEAKER_03 4:18

It's a lot of information at once, and it's great for them to be able to circle back and just re, you know, go over everything again. So, yes, everyone that's been through the whole process has said how it's like a well-oiled machine, how they felt very supported through the process because of all of the information and the education that they got in advance.

Anxiety Relief Through Clear Answers

unknown 4:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

So do you feel like, you know, the the preparation and education that you provide as well as the clinicians, do you think that impacts their recovery and you know what they expect to have to do?

SPEAKER_03 4:47

Absolutely. Because anytime you're having surgery, you're you you're it's you know, the anxiety of having surgery, the anxiety of the unknown, you know? So um feeling like they're having all of the questions answered, I think is huge going into surgery because it's you're they it puts their mind at ease. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

How do you help them from feeling overwhelmed? You know, do we want them to feel empowered that they can, you know, find their own answers to these questions and use these online tools and the books and and all of the things?

SPEAKER_03 5:15

How do we keep that from being too much for them to keep track of? Well, I I tell them multiple times whenever I meet with them. If at any point they have any questions, they're welcome to call. If they want to come in again to see a clinician again, they're welcome to come in for another appointment. We want everyone to feel like very empowered and like ready, you know, ready for this step.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

And I know our office really emphasizes having a coach too. I don't know if do you see the interaction, you know, it's important to have a coach there at the education so that there's two people absorbing everything rather than just the patient who could be anxious at baseline.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Yes. It's yes, it's very important for them to have a coach and they usually are with them at that appointment. If they're not able to make it with them for that appointment, I always say when they come back in for pre-testing or their pre-op appointment, if they want to sit down in the education room with me, um, at that time, I'm more than willing to go over everything again with them and the coach. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Is there anything else that you think patients should know ahead of time, you know, to come for their appointment or or what they should expect to think about?

SPEAKER_03 6:17

Um, no, I'm like I said, just to understand that it's a lot of information, but like it's they'll get through like it's good information and it seems overwhelming at the time, but then once you have a minute to like absorb the information, you're like, this is so helpful, you know. Yeah.

Coaches Pre Testing And Repeat Visits

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Typically, how long does it take you, you know, out of curiosity for patients knowing to actually provide the education once someone has to have surgery or decides to have surgery?

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Um, usually about like like just depending on if they have any questions or anything like that, but usually about like uh 20, you know, 20 minutes or so.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Well, and you think about that's in addition to the the provider as well. So you know, you're having multiple levels of, you know, availability and being able to ask questions and educating. And I mean, I know especially in the Bone and Joint Center, we also really emphasize even education before having surgery. So do you ever meet with patients, you know, who may be surgical candidates but not ready to have surgery? Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:14

And then we go over like what what their options are other than surgery.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Okay. Yeah, which is important because you know, everyone's not ready for surgery right off the bat. You know, I think like, you know, we it's a process which we've talked about time and time again through our podcasts of deciding to have surgery and then, you know, being able to prepare them in the right way to be feel empowered to have surgery. No, I I agree. Are there any um other common like questions or you know, hesitations about surgery that you have experienced from patients?

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Not really, not really.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

That's good. I mean, I think that kind of goes just to say that you know the education process from when you see them even before deciding have surgery to the clinician to our, you know, our APPs, which are our um mid-level providers, is is um really thorough for sure. Definitely. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

And that's what yes, that's it says a lot about, you know, their their appointment with the clinicians, just because, like I said, there's not a lot of additional questions that they have once I meet with them.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Yeah,

A Reliable Touch Point For Patients

SPEAKER_01 8:16

yeah. And it's also nice to have another touch point, like you said, they can reach out to you after about any questions, you know, because I think some patients feel that they can't get in touch with their doctor or their their other PA or NP or whatnot as easily. So it's nice to have someone else in the process to be a touch point, which I know our patients really value a lot. I have a lot of patients who come after surgery and say, you know, Christy was such a good resource. She was very helpful, she made me feel more comfortable. You know, I think that's very important as well.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Yes, they're definitely supported by everyone here. And to your to your point, yeah, it's uh definitely easier access to, you know, for them to talk to me about it. And that's that's helpful. For sure.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Good. Well, Christy, thank you so much for sharing your insight with us today. We're so grateful we were able to hear things from your end. You know, it's a little different for us as clinicians. We don't always know the process for the patients, and and we want to make sure, you know, that everybody's on the same page and able to help everybody as well as they can. So thank you so much. We'll see you next time. Thank you for having me. Bye.

Closing And How To Book Care

SPEAKER_00 9:22

That's today's dose of strength, balance, and better movement from the Joint Effort Podcast. Ready for care that fits your life and gets you moving? To schedule an appointment with Dr. Noel for your surgical and injection needs, call 412-683-7272. Or visit PGHBJC.com. Or if you are looking for lifestyle changes that are not searchable, contact Tiffany Belgifine. Call 412-641-8594 or visit boneandjointhealth.org. Healthy bones and happy joints make every day better. Until next time, keep moving, stay steady, and take care of yourself.

unknown 10:07

Let's get you moving.