Hand Aesthetics Questionnaire Version 2.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development and Validation of a Patient Reported Outcomes Questionnaire for Aesthetics of the Hand after Surgery
IRAS ID
319891
Contact name
Ashley Solieri
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Hands are integral to daily function, with additional roles in social interaction and self-perception. Often hand surgeons become involved due to disability or injury that affects an individual’s function. However, hand aesthetics are also important – deformities can have impacts on self-esteem and mental health (Bradbury 2007). Indeed, aesthetics form part of a holistic decision-making process with regards to all forms of hand surgery, be it for degenerative disease, trauma, burns, congenital difference or even cancers.
There are validated hand questionnaires which exist to quantify patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) focusing predominantly on function as a marker of treatment success. Given the lack of a robust tool for examining aesthetic outcomes, a study by Johnson et al 2015 identified the need for a validated aesthetic assessment system, so that indications and outcomes from hand surgery can be more objectively and consistently understood. We have developed a Likert scale questionnaire within a panel of mixed medical and lay persons to capture PROMS with a focus on hand aesthetics. Therefore, our study aims to validate this questionnaire.
The target population for the questionnaire is adult patients who have had hand surgery deemed to have a significant degree of deviation from normal hand appearance. For the purposes of this study, paediatric patients with congenital differences are excluded, as the use of questionnaires is unreliable.
The study is planned to take place over a year, which may be extended if further areas for study become apparent. Full questionnaire validation requires a small pilot of the questionnaire to refine items and compare to a ‘normal hand’ population. Once finalised, a larger study of the patient population will be performed with participants completing the questionnaire alongside a previously validated generic quality of life questionnaire for comparison, then repeated a week later to test for reliability.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
23/WA/0108
Date of REC Opinion
23 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion