Misquotation of a commonly referenced hand surgery study.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Hand Surgery
• Biomedical Literature Analysis

Background:

• Novel clinical studies significantly influence hand surgery practices.
• Accurate referencing of foundational research is critical for maintaining clinical standards.
• The 1986 Knirk and Jupiter study on distal radius fractures is a seminal work in the field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the consistency and accuracy of citations referencing the 1986 Knirk and Jupiter article.
• To identify discrepancies between original data and subsequent interpretations in the biomedical literature.
• To evaluate the impact of citation inaccuracies on clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive review of the original Knirk and Jupiter article (1986).
• Electronic citation search (1986-2002) using the Institute for Scientific Information Scientific Citation Index.
• Review and classification of 154 referencing articles by two hand surgeons, assessing accuracy against original data.

Main Results:

• Out of 154 reviewed articles, 63 contained at least one inaccurate reference.
• Citations of the classification system, protocol, or tables were generally accurate (59/63).
• A majority of articles discussing the significance of 2 mm articular incongruity were inaccurate (43/57).

Conclusions:

• Interpretations of the Knirk and Jupiter study, particularly concerning 2 mm articular incongruity, show significant author-to-author variation.
• Inaccurate referencing of impactful studies can lead to divergent clinical conclusions.
• Emphasizes the need for meticulous citation practices in biomedical literature to ensure accurate clinical application.