Use of hip and knee clinical scoring systems in prosthesis surgery in Norwegian hospitals.

In a postal survey of all orthopaedic surgery departments performing total hip or knee replacements in Norway, we inquired about the use of hip or knee scoring systems and their impact. All 63 eligible hospitals responded to the questionnaire. Thirteen (21%) reported routine use of hip clinical scoring systems, and five (9%) used knee clinical scoring systems. The Harris hip score and The Knee Society clinical rating system were the most prevalent. We received five different versions of the Harris hip score. The regional/university hospitals most commonly used clinical scoring systems. The adoption of clinical scoring systems did not differ with the annual procedure volumes of the hospitals.