FAMOUS-C19

Full title

Fracture Assessment, Management and Outcomes in Upper limb Study during Covid-19 (FAMOUS-C19)

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic placed considerable strain on the healthcare systems globally.

NHS hospitals in the United Kingdom (UK) that normally managed patients with fractures had to adapt rapidly to these challenges. Many fractures normally treated by an operation were treated by non-operative management.

Virtual patient assessment and follow up appointments were preferred by NHS Hospital Trusts unless physical, face-to-face review of a patient in clinic was essential.

There is an urgent need to define the changes imposed to clinical management of patients with fractures, identify opportunities for sustained change in services, and describe patient outcomes from commonly seen upper limb (shoulder and wrist) fractures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What we are doing

This is a UK wide study across approximately 40 NHS hospitals of around 500 adult patients with confirmed fractures of the shoulder or wrist during the “pre-pandemic phase” (1 December 2019 to 14 March 2020) and the “pandemic phase” (15 March to 30 June 2020).

Information about the patients’ background, types of fracture, how they were treated and outcomes from treatment will be collected. The data collected will be analysed to explore any differences noted in the treatment and outcomes between the pre-pandemic phase and the pandemic phase.

The results of this study will help to understand the impact COVID-19 pandemic had on the care of patients and outcomes from common fractures of the shoulder and wrist and may help inform future practice beyond the pandemic.