Illness representations in patients with hand injury

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Psychology
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Illness perception influences health behaviors and outcomes after hand injury.
• Understanding patient beliefs is crucial for effective post-operative care and recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine illness perception in patients with acute hand injuries.
• To investigate the relationship between illness perception, injury severity, and psychological factors.

Main Methods:

• Assessed disability and severity using the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and Hand Injury Severity Score (HISS).
• Explored illness beliefs using the revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R).
• Recruited 57 patients over a 2-month period.

Main Results:

• Illness perceptions did not correlate with DASH or HISS scores, indicating independence from recent trauma.
• Dominant hand injuries and female patients reported higher subjective disability.
• Younger patients expected shorter recovery but reported more symptoms.
• Patients were generally optimistic about treatment and recovery (high treatment control, low timeline).
• Negative beliefs (consequences, duration, coherence) linked to negative emotions; high illness identity associated with pessimistic outlook.

Conclusions:

• Illness perceptions in hand injury patients are not directly tied to trauma experience or injury severity.
• A generally optimistic outlook was observed, though severe injuries may lead to over-optimism.
• Psychological interventions may benefit hand injury patients.