By Casey Tingle
Male gender, smoking, lack of commercial health insurance and illicit drug abuse appear to be risk factors for noncompliance with postoperative follow-up after orthopedic trauma, according to results of a retrospective review.
Researchers recorded data of 307 patients with an average age of 40 years who underwent surgical treatment of orthopedic injuries at a level 1 academic trauma center. Following hospital discharge, all patients were instructed to follow up at the orthopedic trauma clinic. The main outcome measure of the study was noncompliance with follow-up appointments during a period of 6 months after injury.
