The management of non-traumatic wrist disorders: A national survey of practice

Non-traumatic wrist disorders (NTWD) are commonly encountered across care settings, but current patterns of care and clinicians beliefs about the care they provide remains unclear.

This study aimed to record management approaches to care for NTWD across clinical groups and care settings.

Ethical approval was sought for an online cross-sectional survey of clinicians [1 Jul - 1 Nov 2023], comprising 18 questions exploring profession, work setting, exposure to NTWD, alongside diagnostic and management confidence. UK-based musculoskeletal (MSK) clinicians were invited to participate through special interest groups, online forums, social media and professional network emails.

Variability was found in the domains of specificity of diagnosis and confidence in management which relates to exposure and profession. Variability was found in the domains of specificity of diagnosis and confidence in management which relates to exposure, profession and clinical setting. Several Patient Related Objective Measures (PROMS) were used by clinicians to assess treatment effect, set goals, and communicate with patients.

This study provides the first description of UK clinicians management of non-traumatic wrist disorders across professional groups and healthcare settings. As evidence-based management remains elusive, deeper understanding of the clinical decision-making and practice behaviour of clinicians would have value in future studies into NTWD.