The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between two care conditions of patients reveiving total knee arthroplastic surgery: firstly, patients' perceptions of the quality of care and their length of stay in hospital; secondly different indicators of health outcomes — self-rated functional ability and health. The sample consisted of 41 patients (median age 71 years) undergoing total knee arthroplastic surgery during 1995 at the Central Hospital of Karlstad, Sweden. Data were collected from the medical records and by means of telephone interviews and a postal questionnaire. Results show that functional ability (walking ability and need of walking aids) covaried with favourable patient perceptions of the quality of care. Favourable functional ability was also associated with a low need of walking aids before surgery. Self-rated health I year after surgery was not related to any of the measured care conditions or the need of walking aids before surgery.