Patient Recall and Understanding of Instructions Concerning Splints Following a Zone 2 Flexor Tendon Repair

Abstract

Twenty eight patients with a zone 2 flexor tendon repair seen by occupational therapists at the Royal Adelaide Hospital participated in a study conducted from August, 1990 — April, 1991. Patients were provided with a Kleinert splint designed to allow early, controlled motion while protecting the repair site. Crucial to the success of this therapeutic medium is the patients' recall and understanding of the therapists' verbal and written instructions about the wearing regimen for their splint. The major purpose of this study was to investigate patient recall and understanding of these instructions. Patients were interviewed, using a structured interview schedule, after their third therapy session. Therapists were asked to predict the level of recall and understanding for individual patients. Patients recalled 62.5% of the total instructions and recalled 42.5% without the need for a cue. Therapists were able to predict patients ability to correctly recall with moderate accuracy. Implications for clinical practice are discussed based on which items patients did, or did not, recall.