Factors Associated With Concerns the Day After Office Hand Surgery

Purpose

Pain after minor hand surgery can be misinterpreted as a problem. The sense that something may be wrong intensifies the pain. Some surgeons anticipate these feelings and call patients the evening or day after surgery to guide them through the recovery process. A study of routine, next day, postoperative phone calls can help determine the frequency of concerns and associated factors. We asked: 1) What factors are associated with concern the day after office hand surgery? 2) What factors are associated with pain intensity, satisfaction with care, and patient’s perceived recovery trajectory the day after office hand surgery?

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, 82 patients who had office hand and upper extremity surgery completed a survey recording age, gender, insurance, income level, measures of symptoms of depression and anxiety, a measure of catastrophic thinking regarding pain, 10-point ordinal ratings of pain intensity and satisfaction with care, whether the patient was concerned about their hand (yes or no) and whether they felt their recovery was on track (yes or no).

Results

Ten patients (12%) were concerned about their hand. In bivariate analysis, concern the day after surgery was associated with greater catastrophic thinking and male gender. Greater pain intensity was associated with greater catastrophic thinking. There was insufficient variation in satisfaction or a sense that recovery was on track for a meaningful analysis.

Conclusions

The finding that concerns were common the day after minor office hand surgery supports the practice of contacting patients for support and helping to reorient unhelpful catastrophic thoughts.

Type of study/level of evidence

Prognostic IV.