The Effects of Postoperative Physician Phone Calls for Hand and Wrist Fractures

This study seeks to determine if postoperative phone calls by a physician affect outcomes in
hand surgery. Patients who require operative treatment of hand and wrist fractures are
randomly assigned to a group that receives a postoperative phone call or the control group
that receives the standard postoperative care. Patient reported and medical outcomes are
observed starting at 1 month postoperatively.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients with isolated injuries of the hand who present to a specific level 1 trauma
center in the Midwestern United States

- Patients who have planned surgical treatment by a pre-specified group of surgeons

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients who have significant trauma to other organ systems proximal to the wrist

- Patients who have open ("compound") fractures (i.e., bone is exposed)

- Children