BSSH / JLA Research Priorities

RSTN TeamPosition statement

BSSH / JLA Top Ten

Full details are here: http://www.bssh.ac.uk/patients/bssh_james_lind_alliance_partnership.aspx#Top

  1. Can scar/fibrosis formation be manipulated to improve results following hand surgery/trauma?
  2. In patients with Dupuytren’s disease, what techniques give the best results in terms of function, recurrence and cost?
  3. In the treatment of common hand conditions, such as peripheral nerve compression syndromes (for example carpal tunnel syndrome), ganglia or arthritis of the fingers/thumb/wrist, do surgical interventions have a demonstrable benefit in patient reported outcome when compared with non-surgical methods or placebo (sham) surgery?
  4. Regarding patient and cost benefits, which interventions (for example movement preserving surgeries such as joint or cartilage replacement, fusion operations permanently stiffening the joint and novel therapies) give the best results in the treatment of painful joints in the hand/wrist?
  5. What are the most effective non-surgical methods for treating early arthritis in the hand and fingers?
  6. What interventions/treatments will have the most positive effect following nerve injury?
  7. What methods are most accurate, user friendly and demonstrate the best clinical utility in measuring patient reported outcomes in common hand conditions?
  8. Which hand therapy techniques enable the most efficient return to full function following surgery or injury?
  9. Which hand/finger/thumb injuries would benefit from surgical intervention over hand therapy or no formal treatment, considering both functional outcome and societal cost?
  10. Which patients with acute ligament injuries to the wrist or chronic wrist/distal radio-ulnar joint (the joint on the little finger side of the wrist) instability benefit from surgical treatment rather than from non-surgical methods?