Is It “Fractured” or “Broken”? A Patient Survey Study to Assess Injury Comprehension after Orthopedic Trauma

Abstract

the bone is “fractured" or “broken". While orthopaedic surgeons consider these terms synonymous, patients appear to<br />comprehend the terms as having different meanings. Given the commonality of this frequently posed question, it may be<br />important for providers to assess patients' level of understanding in order to provide optimal care. The purpose of this<br />study is to evaluate patients' comprehension and understanding regarding the use of the terms fractured and broken.<br />Methods: A survey was administered as a patient-quality measure to patients, family members and/or other non-patients<br />presenting to an orthopaedic outpatient clinic at an academic teaching hospital.<br />Results: 200 responders met inclusion criteria. Only 45% of responders understood the terms fractured and broken<br />to be synonymous. Age, gender, nor ethnicity correlated with understanding of terminology. Responders described a<br />“fractured" bone using synonyms of less severe characteristics for 55.7% of their answers and chose more severe<br />characteristics 44.3% of the time, whereas responders chose synonyms to describe a "broken" bone with more severe<br />characteristics as an answer in 62.1% of cases and chose less severe characteristics 37.9% of the time. The difference<br />for each group was statistically significant (P=0.0458 and P ≤0.00001, respectively).There was no correlation between<br />level of education nor having a personal orthopaedic history of a previous fracture with understanding the terms<br />fracture and broken as synonymous. Having an occupation in the medical field (i.e. physician or physical/occupational<br />therapist) significantly improved understanding of terminology.<br />Conclusion: The majority of people, regardless of the age, gender, race, education or history of previous fracture, may<br />not understand that fractured and broken are synonymous terms. Providers need to be cognizant of the terminology they<br />use when describing a patient's injury in order to optimize patient understanding and care.