Information for Medical Professionals

Inter-observer agreement on humeral fractures is moderate

Inter-observer agreement over the management of proximal humeral fractures is moderate.

According to new research published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, inter-observer agreement was greatly improved if management choices were reduced.

The scientists behind the paper, entitled Management of Proximal Humeral Fractures: Surgeons Don't Agree, also noted that intra-observer agreement was even less frequent.

They claimed that the research raised questions about the consistency of treatment for proximal humeral fractures and the influence this inconsistency could have on patient outcomes.

"Although surgeons agree in the method of treatment only to a modest degree, it remains for further outcomes research to establish if the choice of treatment actually influences the clinical outcome," they claimed.

The study involved eight trained orthopaedic surgeons. Each was asked to assess 38 preoperative radiographs of patients with proximal humeral fractures.

"Testing for intra-observer agreement showed that surgeons picked the same operation in the survey as in the actual clinical setting only 56 per cent of the time," the researchers noted.

Earlier research has shown that the Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand scoring system is reliable when measuring the functional outcome of proximal humeral fracture treatment.

---

<< Back

News provided by Adfero in collaboration with Biomet. Please note that all copy is (c) Adfero Ltd and does not reflect the views or opinions of Biomet unless explicitly stated.