Treatment interventions for hand fractures and joint injuries: a scoping review of randomized controlled trials

Mousoulis, Christos; Thomas, Kim; Leighton, Paul; Deshmukh, Sandeep; Grindlay, Douglas; Karantana, Alexia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify and assess all existing randomized studies on treatment interventions for hand fractures and joint injuries, to inform practice and plan future research. PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Embase were searched. We identified 78 randomized controlled trials published over 35 years, covering seven anatomical areas of the hand. We report on sources of bias, sample size, follow-up length and retention, outcome measures and reporting. In terms of interventions studied, the trials were extremely heterogeneous, so it is difficult to draw conclusions on individual treatments. The published randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) evidence for hand fractures and joint injuries is narrow in scope and of generally low methodological quality. Mapping provides a useful resource and stepping stone for planning further research. There is a need for high-quality, collaborative research to guide management of a much wider breadth of common hand injuries.

Citation

Mousoulis, C., Thomas, K., Leighton, P., Deshmukh, S., Grindlay, D., & Karantana, A. (2020). Treatment interventions for hand fractures and joint injuries: a scoping review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume), 45(2), 111-118. https://doi.org/10.1177/1753193419865897

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 27, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Aug 5, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Jul 24, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 24, 2019
• Print ISSN: 1753-1934
• Electronic ISSN: 2043-6289
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 111-118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1753193419865897
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2336915
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1753193419865897