- Physician response regarding the referral for RHD and thumb CMC arthritis patients.
| Questions | Score out of 5 on the Likert scale Median (IQR) | P-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family medicine (n=46) | Orthopedic surgeons (n=28) | Rheumatologists (n=28) | ||
| Q-19 Based on your current practice, are you referring RHD patients to physiotherapy? | 4.00 (3.00–5.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (4.00–5.00) | 0.186 |
| Q-20 Based on your current practice, are you referring thumb CMC arthritis patients to physiotherapy? | 4.00 (3.00–5.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.75) | 0.482 |
| Q-21 Based on your current practice, are you referring RHD patients to an occupational therapist? | 4.00 (2.75–5.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.75) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 0.950 |
| Q-22 Based on your current practice, are you referring thumb CMC arthritis patients to an occupational therapist? | 4.00 (2.00–5.00) | 4.00 (3.00–4.75) | 4.00 (3.00–4.00) | 0.625 |
| Q-23 Based on your current practice, are you referring RHD patients to a hand surgeon? | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 4.50 (3.25–5.00) | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | <0.001* |
| Q24- Based on your current practice, are you referring thumb CMC arthritis patients to a hand surgeon? | 3.00 (2.00–4.00) | 4.50 (3.25–5.00) | 3.00 (2.00–3.75) | <0.001* |
Data are expressed as median and IQR. Q19-24: Very likely = 5 / Likely = 4 / Neutral = 3 / Unlikely = 2 / Very unlikely = 1, RHD: rheumatoid hand deformity, CMC: carpometacarpal, IQR: interquartile range,
↵* Statistical significance is set at p<0.05.