Survey of hand surgeons’ and therapists’ perceptions of the benefit of common surgical procedures of the hand

AbstractObjective: The objectives of this survey were (1) to study if surgeons’ perceptions of the benefit of six surgical procedures differ if they consider themselves as patients instead of treating a patient, (2) to evaluate the role of five predetermined factors that may influence decision-making, and (3) to assess how uniformly hand surgeons and hand therapists perceive the benefits of the surgical treatments.Methods: The members of the national societies for Hand Surgery and Hand Therapy were asked to participate in the survey. Six patient cases with hand complaint (carpal tunnel syndrome, flexor tendon injury, dorsal wrist ganglion, thumb amputation, boxer’s fracture, and mallet fracture) and a proposed operative procedure were presented, and the respondents rated the procedures in terms of the expected benefit. Half of the surgeons were advised to consider themselves as patients when filling out the survey.Results: A survey was completed by 56 surgeons (61%) and 59 therapists (20%). Surgeons who c...