Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Nov 2013
Does rewording MRI reports improve patient understanding and emotional response to a clinical report?
Diagnostic MRI reports can be distressing for patients with limited health literacy. Humans tend to prepare for the worst particularly when we are in pain, and words like "tear" can make us feel damaged and in need of repair. Research on words used in provider-patient interactions have shown an affect on response to treatment and coping strategies, but the literature on this remains relatively sparse. ⋯ Emotional response, satisfaction, usefulness, and understanding were all superior in MRI reports reworded for lower reading level and optimal emotional content and optimism. Given that patients increasingly have access to their medical records and diagnostic reports, attention to health literacy and psychologic aspects of the report may help optimize health and patient satisfaction.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Nov 2013
Risk factors for significant wound complications following wide resection of extremity soft tissue sarcomas.
Wound complications following resection of a localized soft tissue sarcoma have been associated with lower extremity location, large tumor volume, and use of preoperative radiation. Some of these wounds, however, show the potential for healing with local wound care and nonsurgical techniques. We are unaware of any published data establishing factors associated with nonhealing wounds that ultimately are treated with local or free vascularized tissue transfer. ⋯ Patients with tumors of the lower extremity involving major neurovascular structures and for whom radiation therapy is planned should be counseled specifically because they appear to be at increased risk for use of delayed local or free vascularized tissue transfer for a nonhealing wound following resection of a localized extremity soft tissue sarcoma.