Outcomes of hand fracture treatments.

Abstract

There is no outcome measure designated as the gold standard when assessing the treatment results following fractures of the hand. Numerous measures have been described in the literature, but only a limited number have been validated to specifically evaluate functional recovery with respect to hand fractures. Of the outcome measures validated for use with hand fractures, few have been studied in comparative trials designed to analyze their ability to predict functional recovery. This review article provides an evidence-based description of the validated scales and scores frequently used in assessing the functional outcomes and their ability to predict recovery.