Orthopaedic Patient Recognition of Attending Improves Satisfaction Evaluations (Orthopaedic PRAISE Study) (ORTHOPRAISE)

There is a paucity of data in the orthopaedic literature assessing patient satisfaction especially with regards to orthopaedic trauma. Furthermore, the investigators are not aware of any studies looking at utilization of methods to improve the patient's understanding of the primary orthopaedic surgeon that is directing his or her orthopaedic trauma care in order to improve patient satisfaction with overall orthopaedic trauma care.

The investigators aim to improve the patient-physician relationship and improve patient satisfaction by providing a biosketch card of the attending orthopaedic trauma surgeon to the patient. The biosketch card will include a picture of the attending orthopaedic surgeon with a brief synopsis of his or her: education background, specialty, surgical interests, research interests, and other interests including hobbies.

The investigators hypothesize that the biosketch card with the attending orthopaedic trauma surgeon's information and picture will improve the overall patient experience and patient satisfaction by helping to serve as a reminder of the treating surgeon. The reference card can be revisited during the initial hospitalization and even after discharge. The investigators propose that an increased recognition of the treating orthopaedic surgeon will increase patient satisfaction with their inpatient stay.

The "intervention" group will receive an attending photo/biosketch card within 24 hours of admission while the control group will not. The card will be delivered by a research assistant to the intervention group within 24 hours of admission. The research assistant will not notify the patient that the biosketch card is the intervention in order to maintain the integrity of the study. Furthermore, initiation of the consent process at this point would potentially introduce bias into the study if patients are made aware that we are evaluating their satisfaction based on whether they receive a card. Patients could potentially provide inaccurate and biased answers if required to complete a consent form. As a result, we have applied for a waiver of consent.

The investigators will record patient age, gender, and type of injury on admission and will record length of hospital stay. Each patient will randomized to the control group or the "intervention" group and will receive a biosketch card accordingly.

Within 2 weeks of discharge from the hospital, but before the patient's first clinic visit, each patient will be called by the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for a patient satisfaction telephone survey. The telephone surveyor will be blinded to the study. After the survey, the patient will be de-identified and the data will be forwarded to our statistician to analyze the data. The primary investigator (PI) and authors will be blinded to the quality improvement survey data until statistical analysis is completed.

• Experimental: Intervention Group, biosketch card
  The investigators aim to improve the patient-physician relationship and improve patient satisfaction by providing a biosketch card of the attending orthopaedic trauma surgeon to the patient. The biosketch card will include a picture of the attending orthopaedic surgeon with a brief synopsis of his or her: education background, specialty, surgical interests, research interests, and other interests including hobbies.
  Intervention: Other: Orthopaedic Attending Biosketch Card
• Active Comparator: Control group, standard care
  The "intervention" group will receive an attending photo/biosketch card within 24 hours of admission while the control group will not. The control group will receive the usual/standard care as provided to all orthopaedic trauma admission patients without receiving a biosketch card.
  Intervention: Other: Orthopaedic Attending Biosketch Card

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-100 year old patients
• English speaking
• Admitted to the orthopaedic trauma surgery service
• Isolated orthopaedic injury requiring orthopaedic surgery on the same admission

Exclusion Criteria:

• <18 years old
• traumatic brain injury
• patients with prior orthopaedic trauma injuries treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)
• patients with prior patient patient-physician relationship with orthopaedic trauma attending
• visually impaired patients
• intubated/sedated patients
• intoxicated patients