'Doctor, have I got a fracture or a break'?
Many patients apparently believe there is a difference between a fracture and a break. In a survey of 100 patients, 81 thought there was a difference. Of these, 71 thought a fracture was better than a break, and 65 believed that bone was undisplaced in a fracture and displaced in a break. These results suggest that greater care, including visual means, should be used in informing patients of their injuries.
Peckham
T J
TJ
Department of Orthopaedics, Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, Kent, UK.
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012660:Semantics; D009626:Terminology as Topic