title: Quality of life after severe hand injury.
abstract: This study explores the quality of life in 118 patients following severe and major hand injury with a Hand Injury Severity Score >50. Each patient answered five different validated outcome measures (DASH (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand), FLZ(M) ('Fragen zur Lebenszufriedenheit'), HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score), BDDE-SR (Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination-Self Report) and FBeK ('Fragebogen zur Beurteilung des eigenen Körpers'), which were incorporated into a single questionnaire. Each of these questionnaires covered one or more of the established quality-of-life domains. Patients with pain and pressure sensations were significantly less satisfied in life, showed lower levels of health satisfaction, had higher levels of anxiety and depression and showed higher body dysmorphic disorder levels (all p < 0.001). General life satisfaction in this hand-injury study group is highly dependent on the patients` satisfaction with their health and appearance as well as self-confidence. The quality-of-life outcomes improve with time, and despite evidence of continued impairment in the injured hand, the majority of patients had a normal quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery and Hand Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Str. 22, D-81675 München, Germany. l.kovacs@lrz.tum.de
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kovacs
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grob
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eder
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Herschbach
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Henrich
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biemer
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Papadopulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies