Educational handouts designed for patients are promoted as a tool to educate, increase satisfaction, and potentially improve outcome. However, the value of these educational handouts as an adjunct to standard surgical care has not been formally assessed after ankle fracture. The purpose of this study was to compare standard post-operative care following surgically treated rotational ankle fracture to care supplemented with the use of adjunctive educational handouts. Fifty-one patients who sustained a rotational ankle fracture requiring open reduction and internal fixation were randomized to receive either standard care (group S) for an ankle fracture, or to additionally receive the AAOS handout on ankle fractures and a handout describing appropriate mobilization exercises (group H). Standard care included follow up visits at 2, 6, and 12 weeks postoperatively in a busy orthopaedic fracture clinic, including brief instructions on mobilization exercises. A bulky plaster-reinforced dressing was used for immobilization for the first two weeks following surgery, followed by a removable boot. Range of motion exercises were encouraged after the first two weeks and weight bearing was encouraged six weeks after surgery. Surgeons and outcome assessors were blinded to treatment group. Patients completed functional outcome assessment (Olerud-Molander ankle score), objective measurement of ankle motion, and visual analog scale questions related to satisfaction at 6 and 12 weeks after surgery.Purpose
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