• Sercan Çapkın, Ali Cavit, Kutay Yılmaz, Eralp Erdoğan, and Tufan Kaleli.
• Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Division of Hand Surgery, Uludağ University Faculty of Medicine, Bursa-Turkey.
• Ulus Travma Acil Cer. 2020 May 1; 26 (3): 453-461.

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the relationships between the initial anatomic severity of hand, wrist and forearm injuries, as evaluated by the Modified Hand Injury Severity Score (MHISS), and each of the following parameters: disability rating and time to return to work.MethodsIn this study, 94 patients who underwent operations due to acute hand, wrist and forearm injuries were included. MHISS was used to assess the severity of the injury. Disability rates of the patients were calculated six months after injury in accordance with the 'Regulation on Disability Criteria, Classification and Health Board Reports to be Given to Disabled People'. The time to return to work was defined as the length of time (in days) between the injury and the patient's return to work. Spearman rank correlation analysis was performed to analyse correlations between the MHISS and each of the following: disability rates and time to return to work.ResultsThe mean overall MHISS was 125.23 (5-880). The mean overall upper extremity disability ratio (UEDR) was 17.64±22.6 (range: 0-94), and the mean overall total body disability ratio (TBDR) was 10.57±13.45 (range: 0-56). Among the study population, 87 (92.6%) patients were able to return to their jobs. The mean overall time to return to work was 138.69 (range: 35-365 days). A statistically significant correlation was found between MHISS and UEDR, TBDR and time to return to work and UEDR, TBDR (p<0.001).ConclusionAs a result, as the initial injury severity increased, greater disability remained and the time to return to work increased. Predicting prognosis by determining the injury severity in the initial evaluation of patients may be important in predicting a patient's future permanent disability level, which can contribute to maintaining patient expectations at a reasonable level, thereby aiding in psychosocial support.

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