Adherence to therapeutic splint wear in adults with acute upper limb injuries: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction. Non-adherence with therapeutic splinting in acute hand injury can reduce treatment benefits, increase risk of disability and bias assessment of treatment efficacy. This systematic review aims to critically analyse the literature on splinting of acute upper limb injuries to identify key factors that could influence patient adherence with splint wear. Methods. Trials were identified from searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL (to June 2009) and reference lists of articles and relevant reviews. Search terms used were patient compliance/adherence behaviour, splint/s, othosis/es and brace. Where possible, randomized controlled trials or prospective cohort studies were sought, and then cross-sectional and retrospective studies if the former were not available. Studies specifically addressing chronic conditions were excluded. All relevant trials were assessed for methodological quality by the author using explicit criteria. Data were extracted using a standardized form designed by the author. Results. Six studies (one randomized controlled trial, two cross-sectional analytic surveys and three retrospective file reviews) involving 490 people were included. Owing to the heterogeneity of studies synthesis is narrative rather than quantitative. There was no consistent correlation between adherence and age or gender. One study found a correlation with patient perception of positive effect, and one found negative correlations with agitation and brain injury severity. Discussion. Studies found were generally of varied quality and may be susceptible to bias. This is a field with little published scientific evidence, and future research should measure adherence relationships with socioeconomic, health-care system, therapy-and patient-related characteristics.

Patient-specific 3D-printed Splint for Mallet Finger Injury

“…Intrinsically, the outcome will be highly dependent on the skills and knowledge of the medical practitioner. Even with highly trained health professionals completing this, there are many factors that impact on the wearing of splints resulting in non-adherence and decreased outcomes[ 3 ]. In addition, it is a lengthy and labor-intensive process requiring the fabrication of multiple casts leading to excessive use of materials and efforts.…”

Production time and user satisfaction of 3-dimensional printed orthoses for chronic hand conditions compared with conventional orthoses: A prospective case series

“…Although aesthetics was analysed in other studies on hand orthoses ( 8 , 18 ), we are not aware of studies that have reported specifically on the aesthetics of 3D-printed hand orthoses. Considering that patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as aesthetics, are becoming increasingly important ( 19 ), that aesthetics can influence the adherence with wearing an orthosis ( 20 ), and that, with 3D-printing, there are good possibilities to personalize the orthosis, future studies should assess satisfaction with the aesthetics of 3D-printed hand orthoses in a larger population.…”

The effect of rehabilitation education through social media on the quality of life in burn patients: a randomized, controlled, clinical trial

“…Moreover, using interactive tools such as WhatsApp can increase the patients’ performance in the process of rehabilitation. The implementation of educational programs based on burn victims’ needs improves their adherence to the treatment regimen [ 41 ]. Therefore, another potential reason for the positive results obtained in the present study may be the rapid responding to the patients’ real needs by the medical team, since patients could quickly contact the medical team members and receive a proper and prompt response if they faced any issues or ambiguities regarding the rehabilitation exercises.…”