Fractures of the distal radius are a common injury, affecting younger patients typically through sporting and road traffic accidents, and older osteoporotic patients often due to falls from a standing height. The potential consequences of these fractures are rare but can be catastrophic, with risk of lasting impairment to the patient. This thesis aimed to examine (1) how surgeons decide which patients with a dorsally displaced distal radius fracture need an operation, (2) what is the evidence basis for the two most commonly performed operations for patients with this fracture in the UK, (3) Are electronic and manual goniometers and dynamometers able to reliably assess wrist function in patients and healthy volunteers, (4) Does the patients’ functional outcome correspond with their radiological outcome, and (5) what is the long-term outcome of these patients. A number of research methods were employed to achieve these objectives. A mixed methods approach was deployed, involving observations of nineteen patient/surgeon consultations followed by mini interviews with the consulting surgeons, to gain an insight into which patients with a dorsally displaced distal radius fracture receive an operation in practice. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 14 Orthopaedic surgeons to explore the patient/surgeon/context related factors that contribute to their decision-making.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:720439 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Plant, Caroline Elizabeth |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/89823/ |
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