Development and Testing of a Question Prompt List for Common Hand Conditions: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods...

Area of Science:

• Hand Surgery
• Patient Communication
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Patient-physician communication is crucial for effective healthcare.
• Existing question prompt lists (QPLs) improve patient engagement but are unavailable for hand surgery.
• A need exists for a specialized QPL in hand surgery clinics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a question prompt list (QPL) for patients undergoing hand surgery.
• To enhance patient engagement and communication in hand surgery consultations.
• To create a tool tailored for the specific needs of hand surgery patients.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods design was employed, starting with a drafted QPL.
• Qualitative evaluation involved a patient advisory board, therapists, surgeons, and patient cognitive interviews.
• Quantitative evaluation used the System Usability Scale (SUS) to assess the final QPL's usability.

Main Results:

• The QPL was refined through iterative qualitative feedback from 6 patients, 5 hand therapists, and 6 surgeons.
• Cognitive interviews were conducted with 13 patients.
• The final QPL achieved a SUS score of 78.8, indicating above-average usability.

Conclusions:

• The developed QPL is a usable tool for hand surgery patients, promoting engagement and question-asking.
• This QPL has the potential to improve patient-provider communication and advance patient-centered care in hand surgery.
• Clinicians are provided with a novel QPL to facilitate more comprehensive discussions in hand surgery settings.