- Physicians’ answers regarding the management options for RHD and thumb CMC arthritis.
| Questions | Score out of 5 on the Likert scale Median (IQR) | P-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family medicine (n = 46) | Orthopedic surgeons (n = 28) | Rheumatologists (n = 28) | ||
| Q7- Based on your current practice, are you managing RHD patients with systemic medications only? | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 3.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.25–5.00) | 0.010* |
| Q8- Based on your current practice, are you managing thumb CMC arthritis patients with systemic medications only? | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 3.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 0.483 |
| Q9- Based on your current practice, are you offering RHD patients local steroid injections to the hand or wrist? | 3.00 (2.00 –4.00) | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 0.773 |
| Q10- Based on your current practice, are you offering thumb CMC arthritis patients local steroid injections to the hand or wrist? | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (2.25–4.00) | 0.136 |
| Q11- Based on your current practice, are you recommending the use of a hand brace or splint for RHD patients? | 3.00 (2.75–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–5.00) | 3.00 (2.25–4.00) | 0.208 |
| Q12- Based on your current practice, are you recommending the use of a hand brace or splint for thumb CMC arthritis patients? | 3.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–5.00) | 3.00 (3.00–4.00) | 0.098 |
| Q13- Do you think that hand surgery can help with pain relief for some RHD patients? | 3.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–5.00) | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 0.007* |
| Q14- Do you think that hand surgery can help with pain relief for some thumb CMC arthritis patients? | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.50 (4.00–5.00) | 3.00 (3.00–4.00) | <0.001* |
| Q15- Do you think that surgery can help some RHD patients improve their hand function? | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–5.00) | 3.50 (2.00–4.00) | 0.086 |
| Q16- Do you think that surgery can help some thumb CMC arthritis patients improve their hand function? | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.25–5.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 0.014* |
| Q17- Do you think that surgery can help some RHD patients improve the cosmetic appearance of their hands? | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.25–5.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 0.442 |
| Q18- Do you think that surgery can help some thumb CMC arthritis patients improve the cosmetic appearance of their hands? | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 3.50 (3.00–4.00) | 0.729 |
Data are expressed as median and IQR. Q7 -12: Very likely = 5 / Likely = 4 / Neutral = 3 / Unlikely = 2 / Very unlikely = 1. Q13-18: Strongly agree = 5 / Agree = 4 / Neither agree nor disagree = 3 / Disagree = 2 / Strongly disagree = 1.
RHD: rheumatoid hand deformity, CMC: carpometacarpal, IQR: interquartile range
↵* Statistical significance is set at p<0.05.