The Yield of Postoperative Clinical Follow-Up Following Minor Hand Surgery: Is a Face-to-Face Encounter Necessary?

Abstract

Postoperative clinical follow-up is standard practice for wound monitoring, patient reassurance, and surgical outcome assessment. However, overburdened health care systems necessitate optimized resource allocation. This study evaluates the utility of routine postoperative follow-up after elective, noninfectious soft tissue upper limb procedures. We retrospectively reviewed patients aged ≥18 years who underwent elective soft tissue procedures between January 2023 and December 2024, including carpal tunnel, trigger finger and de Quervain tenosynovitis release, foreign body removal, and excision of skin and subcutaneous finger and palm masses. Medical records were analyzed for interventions performed during routine postoperative visits and unplanned procedure-related encounters. Of 394 patients meeting inclusion criteria (mean age 57.7 ± 17.8 years; 42% male), the mean time to follow-up was 22.2 ± 6.1 days. Only 12 routine visits (3%) yielded clinically notable interventions: five for wound complications, four for specific therapy instructions, two for postoperative neurapraxia, and one for severe pain management. Twenty-two surgical site infections and wound complications were reported. Most (77.3%) were identified and managed before the scheduled visit through emergency department or primary care encounters. Ninety-nine patients (25.1%) declined follow-up. Of these, 83 required no additional surgical or medical care, and 16 were lost to follow-up. Twenty-nine patients used the visit to raise unrelated new complaints. Routine postoperative follow-up after elective, clean, soft tissue procedures had high medical yield in only 3% of cases, with most complications presenting through alternative care pathways. Further research should examine patient safety and satisfaction outcomes with voluntary, on-demand postoperative follow-up models. Therapeutic IV.