Back to 2018 ePosters

Introduction

Successful non-operative treatment of mallet finger injuries depends on compliance to prolonged immobilization and clear, understandable education materials. This study evaluated the use of written and online video instructions following mallet finger injury.

Methods

Following ethics board approval and informed consent, adults with an acute mallet finger injury referred to Hand Therapy were included. Standard non-operative treatment was instituted with orthotic immobilization and verbal instructions regarding the injury and orthosis care. Patients were also provided with an education pamphlet and a link to an online video. A questionnaire regarding the education materials was administrated at the follow up appointment.

Results

There were 61 patients (41 men, 20 women) included in the study (mean age 42 ± 14 years). The middle (n = 21) and ring (n = 22) fingers were most commonly injured. All patients were fluent in English and 27 spoke another language. Most patients were working (n = 48) and had university/college education (n = 51). Written instructions (n = 57) were used by more patients than the videos (n = 30; most commonly viewed on a computer, n = 25). Comparing patients who viewed the video to those that did not, there were no differences (p > .05) in demographics (sex, age, education, work status, second language). Both written and video instructions were reported as helpful; the mean helpful score for video instruction (9.4 ± 1.9) was significantly (p = .03) higher than the written instructions (8.8 ± 1.3). Most patients preferred having both written and video instructions (n = 30) and were found to be easy to understand and convenient.

Conclusions

In patients with acute mallet finger injuries, our results indicated that written and video instructions were utilized and were reported as helpful. This study provides evidence of the usefulness of online videos as an educational aid.