Use of Questionnaire-Based Research in Hand Surgery

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Hand Surgery
• Medical Research Methodology

Background:

• Questionnaire-based research is prevalent in hand surgery.
• Ensuring robust survey design is critical for meaningful research outcomes.
• This study evaluates the application and quality of questionnaire use in hand surgery literature.

Approach:

• A systematic review of questionnaire-based studies published from 2010-2020 in four major American journals.
• Assessed the validation status of survey instruments and categorized study topics.
• Examined reporting practices for nonvalidated instruments to identify bias mitigation strategies.

Key Points:

• 354 studies were reviewed; 52.5% used validated instruments, 27.7% used nonvalidated instruments.
• Validated instruments primarily focused on patient-reported outcomes (84.9%).
• Nonvalidated instruments were more frequently used for physician practice (44.9%) and education (13.3%), with significant reporting gaps (e.g., 74.5% lacked predistribution testing).

Conclusions:

• Survey research is common in hand surgery, with 46% of studies incorporating nonvalidated elements.
• Inconsistent disclosure of bias-limiting techniques in nonvalidated survey studies was observed.
• Recommendations for improvement include pilot testing, full survey publication, and enhanced reporting on sampling and response rates.