Adherence to the AAOS upper-extremity clinical practice guidelines

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recently developed several clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) involving upper-extremity conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adherence to these CPGs by members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). An e-mail containing a brief study description and access to the survey was sent to ASSH current and candidate members. The survey contained questions involving the existing upper-extremity AAOS CPGs: diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, treatment of distal radius fractures, and treatment of glenohumeral arthritis. Overall, 469 responses were obtained, for a response rate of 32%. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the responses. Members of ASSH do not universally adhere to the AAOS CPGs. For patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, 53% of respondents wait the recommended time to change nonoperative treatment after failure of a given modality, and 32% of respondents always order electrodiagnostic testing when considering surgery. Furthermore, 30% of respondents immobilize the wrist postoperatively. In regard to distal radius fractures, 11% of respondents always prescribe vitamin C after treatment, and 49% respondents never do so. However, ASSH members follow some of the recommendations. These include nighttime splinting (98%) and corticosteroid injections (85%) in the nonoperative treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. For distal radius fractures, almost 85% of respondents consider the suggested postreduction criteria when determining operative versus cast treatment. Further study is warranted to understand the reasons for and possible solutions to the inconsistent adherence to the AAOS CPGs.