Forgotten Joint Score
The Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) is a patient-reported outcome measure that assesses the extent to which patients are aware of their artificial joint during everyday activities. Higher scores indicate greater ability to "forget" the joint, reflecting better post-surgical outcomes and joint function.
What is the Forgotten Joint Score?
The Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) is a unique patient-reported outcome measure that evaluates how well you have adapted to your artificial joint. Unlike traditional questionnaires that focus on pain or functional limitations, the FJS asks about your awareness of your joint during everyday activities. The goal of joint replacement surgery is not just to reduce pain, but to restore your joint function so completely that you can "forget" about it during normal activities. A high FJS score means you rarely think about your artificial joint - a sign of a very successful outcome.
Scoring System
The FJS uses a 5-point Likert scale (0-4) for each of the 12 questions: 0 = Never aware, 1 = Almost never, 2 = Seldom, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Mostly aware. The total score is calculated using the formula: FJS = 100 - ((sum of items / number of items answered) × 25). This results in a 0-100 scale where 100 represents complete joint "forgetting" (best outcome) and 0 represents constant joint awareness (worst outcome). Higher scores indicate better post-surgical outcomes and successful joint replacement. At least 8 of 12 items must be answered for a valid score.
General Information
Clinical Information
Instructions
The Forgotten Joint Score takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and should be self-administered. Patients are asked to think about the past week and rate their awareness of their artificial joint during 12 different activities or threatened. Each question uses the same 5-point scale from "Never" to "Mostly." Patients should answer based on their actual experiences, and if they did not perform a specific activity in the past week, they should estimate their awareness level based on similar activities. At least 8 of the 12 items must be completed for a valid score calculation.
Form Preview
See how the form looks and try the interactive version
Forgotten Joint Score
The Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) is a patient-reported outcome measure that assesses the extent to which patients are aware of their artificial joint during everyday activities. Higher scores indicate greater ability to "forget" the joint, reflecting better post-surgical outcomes and joint function.
Instructions:
The Forgotten Joint Score takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and should be self-administered. Patients are asked to think about the past week and rate their awareness of their artificial joint during 12 different activities or threatened. Each question uses the same 5-point scale from "Never" to "Mostly." Patients should answer based on their actual experiences, and if they did not perform a specific activity in the past week, they should estimate their awareness level based on similar activities. At least 8 of the 12 items must be completed for a valid score calculation.
Joint Awareness Assessment
Patient Watch Form - 10/31/2025
Detailed Scoring Methodology
The FJS uses a 5-point Likert scale (0-4) for each of the 12 questions: 0 = Never aware, 1 = Almost never, 2 = Seldom, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Mostly aware. The total score is calculated using the formula: FJS = 100 - ((sum of items / number of items answered) × 25). This results in a 0-100 scale where 100 represents complete joint "forgetting" (best outcome) and 0 represents constant joint awareness (worst outcome). Higher scores indicate better post-surgical outcomes and successful joint replacement. At least 8 of 12 items must be answered for a valid score.
Assessment Subscales
Joint Awareness Total Score
Overall measure of the patient ability to forget their artificial joint during daily activities
Meaningful Change Threshold
The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the FJS ranges from 14 to 20 points depending on the joint and patient population. Changes of 15 points or more are generally considered clinically meaningful. The FJS is known to have ceiling effects in well-functioning patients, with many achieving scores above 80-90 after successful arthroplasty.
About the Developers
The Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) was developed by Dr. Henning Behrend, Dr. Francesco Giesinger, and colleagues at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and published in 2012. The FJS was created to address a gap in traditional patient-reported outcome measures by focusing on the unique concept of joint "forgetting" - the ability of patients to be unaware of their artificial joint during everyday activities. This novel approach captures the ultimate goal of joint replacement surgery: to restore function so completely that patients forget they have an artificial joint.
Copyright Information
The Forgotten Joint Score is freely available for clinical and research use without licensing fees. The questionnaire can be used, reproduced, and distributed for non-commercial purposes without permission. Proper citation of the original development and validation studies (Behrend et al., 2012) is requested when using the FJS in research or publications. Translations into other languages should follow proper validation protocols.
Administration Instructions
The Forgotten Joint Score takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and should be self-administered. Patients are asked to think about the past week and rate their awareness of their artificial joint during 12 different activities or threatened. Each question uses the same 5-point scale from "Never" to "Mostly." Patients should answer based on their actual experiences, and if they did not perform a specific activity in the past week, they should estimate their awareness level based on similar activities. At least 8 of the 12 items must be completed for a valid score calculation.
Limitations & Considerations
The FJS is specifically designed for patients with joint replacements (arthroplasty) and is not applicable to non-surgical knee or hip conditions. The questionnaire exhibits significant ceiling effects, particularly in highly successful cases where many patients achieve maximum or near-maximum scores. This can limit its ability to discriminate between very good outcomes. The FJS focuses solely on joint awareness and does not assess pain, stiffness, or specific functional limitations. It is subjective and based on patient recall over the previous week. Some activities (e.g., favorite sport) may not be relevant to all patient populations, particularly elderly or less active individuals.
Ready to implement Forgotten Joint Score?
Get started with our comprehensive digital platform for patient assessment and monitoring.