ArticleCureus2024
The Efficacy of Virtual Fracture Clinics (VFCs) and the Impact of Physician Risk Appetite on Discharge Rates.
Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 0 citations in OpenAlex.
- The clinical efficacy and patient satisfaction of the virtual fracture clinic in the UK: a systematic review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and objectives Virtual fracture clinics (VFCs) allow the triage of emergency department referrals to identify those requiring further care and those that are suitable for discharge. Appropriate discharge from VFC benefits the patient and the healthcare provider by avoiding unnecessary face-to-face appointments. This study investigates factors associated with VFC discharge rates at our hospital and detects potential areas for improvement. Methodology A retrospective review was conducted on 4819 consecutive VFC referrals between March 17, 2021, and March 16, 2022, from a single hospital. Patient demographics, referral outcomes, and triaging consultant data were collected. Sixteen consultants conducted daily VFCs during the study period. Eleven consultants completed the DOSPERT psychometric test to measure their attitude toward risk. The data was analysed using Spearman's rho and Chi-square tests. Results The mean discharge from VFC was 35.4% (29.6-41.0%). The highest rates of discharge were for back pain (100%), followed by fractures of the pubic ramus (100%), the base of the fifth metatarsal (86.89%), the acetabulum (75%), and the proximal radius (73.03%). Consultant experience was significantly negatively correlated with discharge rate (p<0.05). The frequency of conducting a VFC was not associated with the discharge rate (p=0.758). In subspecialty analysis, 90% of lower limb consultants discharged more lower limb presentations from VFC, compared with upper limb consultants (p=0.001). There was no significant correlation between DOSPERT scores and discharge rates (p=0.65). Conclusions VFC remains an important tool for patient care. Consultant experience is associated with a more cautious approach to discharge; however, there was no relationship between a consultant's risk attitude and their VFC discharge rate in this study. Lower-limb consultants appear to discharge lower-limb injuries more readily when compared with their upper-limb colleagues. These insights could be used to improve emergency department and VFC efficiency.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.