Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39918613›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2025

Efficiency of a virtual fracture clinic review protocol in adult patients with distal radial fractures requiring semi-acute surgical treatment.

Dorien A Salentijn, Gijs J A Willinge, Ruben N van Veen, Marcel G W Dijkgraaf

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Dorien A SalentijnDepartment of Trauma Surgery, OLVG, Jan Tooropstraat 164, Amsterdam, 1061 AE, Netherlands. d.a.salentijn@amsterdamumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2422-9040
Gijs J A WillingeDepartment of Trauma Surgery, OLVG, Jan Tooropstraat 164, Amsterdam, 1061 AE, Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9835-105X
Ruben N van VeenDepartment of Trauma Surgery, OLVG, Jan Tooropstraat 164, Amsterdam, 1061 AE, Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-9869-3456
Marcel G W DijkgraafDepartment of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC - University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0750-8790

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of implementation of a Virtual Fracture Clinic (VFC) review protocol on the time between injury and surgery, and on secondary healthcare utilization, in patients with Distal Radius Fractures (DRFs) requiring semi-acute surgery.

methodsData for this retrospective before-after study were gathered between April 2017 and March 2019 (Pre-VFC n = 269), and between April 2021 and March 2023 (VFC n = 440) in a large level 2 urban trauma center. The primary outcome was the number of days between injury and operation. Furthermore secondary healthcare utilization was assessed.

resultsThe average time between injury and surgery was 11.0 days (95% CI: 10.6-11.5) before and 9.2 days (95% CI: 8.9-9.6) after VFC-implementation ( p < 0.001). Following VFC-implementation, 33% (was 17%) of patients underwent surgery within 7 days, 92% (was 84%) within 2 weeks, and 99% (was 96%) within 3 weeks (p < 0.001). This included patients with delays of up to 15 days between injury and their initial hospital presentation. Hospital contacts decreased from 5 (IQR: 4-6) to 4 (IQR: 3-5) whereof physical consults decreased from 4 (IQR: 3-5) to 1 and telephone contacts increased from negligible to 1 (IQR: 1-2). Radiographs reduced from 6 (IQR: 5-7) to 4 (IQR: 3-5).

conclusionsImplementation of a VFC-review protocol is associated with a reduced time between injury and semi-acute surgery for DRFs and reflects an improvement in quality of timely planning. Secondary healthcare utilization is reduced and a shift to remote delivery of care is observed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Indexed as

Radius FracturesTime-to-TreatmentAdultAgedClinical ProtocolsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTelemedicineTrauma CentersDistal radius fractureEfficientlyORIFSemi-acute surgeryVFC

Identifiers

PMID39918613
PMCPMC11805890

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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.