Standardized treatment routines for ankle fractures are positive for both patients and care

Link to thesis

Pressrelease 230124:
Fewer surgically treated ankle fractures with a clear-cut treatment routine

Summary from cover

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Ankle fractures range from simple avulsions to complex injuries and
the treatment options are numerous. Sweden has no national guidelines regarding the management and treatment of ankle fractures, leaving these choices up to local tradition or individuals’ decisions. The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate how ankle fractures are classified, managed and treated and analyse the effect of a structured treatment algorithm. The Swedish Fracture Register (SFR) is the platform for all the included studies.

Results of the studies in this thesis demonstrate that ankle fractures
predominantly affect women and occur during winter as a result of simple same-level falls. The incidence declined during the Covid-19 pandemic, primarily during the first month, in women and in the ≥ 70 years age group. Structured treatment algorithms can optimise resource consumption in the management and treatment of ankle fractures. The implementation of a treatment algorithm for ankle fractures was found to reduce the number of unnecessary surgical procedures and make decisions regarding treatment less dependent on the individual surgeon’s discretion. Knowledge support based on a treatment algorithm incorporated into the SFR provides an appreciated validation of the clinical decisions taken by physicians and was found by the users to increase the value of the care they provided.