Get started
Work

380 Re-Audit of Documentation of Closed Hand Fractures Referred to Hand Therapy Trauma Clinic at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Aim The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) guidelines for closed hand fractures outline that there should be clear documentation of the decision for non-operative management and factors that have influenced this, particularly if the decision for non-operative management is not the expected approach. At Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, this cohort of patients are referred to a Hand Therapy Trauma Clinic (HTTC) for triage and appropriate non-operative management. Method A retrospective review was conducted of all closed hand fractures referred to HTTC over a two-week period in November 2024. The referral forms were assessed against objective criteria and outcomes were compared to data from the initial audit in March 2024 prior to intervention. Results There were 36 closed hand fracture referrals to HTTC, of which 21 (58%) were adults and 15 (42%) were children. The number of patients with electronic documentation of the referral to HTTC was improved when compared with initial data (17% vs 8%, p=0.45). There were 34 referrals (94%) with a specific diagnosis recorded and 32 (89%) had documented senior input (speciality registrar or consultant) in the decision for non-operative management. Only 64% of referrals had a detailed description of the mechanism of injury. Conclusions The HTTC referrals for closed hand fractures have clear diagnoses and senior involvement in the decision for non-operative management The number of referrals with electronic documentation has increased compared to the initial data but there remains significant improvement to be made.
DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znaf128.243
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4411705455
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: 10