title: Difficulties in conducting a prospective outcome study.
abstract: The success of an outcome study depends largely on the number of recruited patients, the loss of followup, and the response rate to postal questionnaires. In this article, different strategies were proposed to increase the aforementioned items. Most presented strategies were developed because of failure of measures used earlier. In the authors' study concerning hand surgery, this resulted in missed inclusions and loss of followup. It is hoped that by reading and using the strategies discussed, future researchers will start at the end of the learning curve and will shed a bright light on the obscurity of recovery after hand injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Erasmus MC, University Hospital Rotterdam, Postbus 1738, Room Number Ee 1591, Rotterdam 3000 DR, The Netherlands. j.ultee@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Jetske
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ultee
authors.forename: Johan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: van Neck
authors.forename: Jean Bart
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jaquet
authors.forename: Steven E R
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hovius
mesh_terms: D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards