The Impact of Pre-Referral Advanced Diagnostic Testing on Wait Time to See a Hand Surgeon for Common Upper-Extremity Conditions.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the use of pre- and post-referral advanced diagnostic testing among patients with 3 common hand conditions, rates of subsequent tests, and differences in wait time to see a hand surgeon.

Methods

We analyzed a single academic tertiary care center administrative database of encounters from 2006 to 2015 to identify adult patients who were referred to a hand surgeon for 3 conditions (carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS], soft tissue masses [STM], and joint pain [JP]). We recorded patient characteristics, use and timing of diagnostic tests, and wait time for the initial hand surgeon evaluation.

Results

Among patients who received advanced diagnostic tests before the surgeon evaluation, CTS patients had the highest rate of receiving pre-referral advanc

SUBMITTER: Lu YT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7429450 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature