Hand Rehabilitation Programs Used for Second to Fifth Metacarpal Fractures: A Systematic Literature Review Protocol

BackgroundMetacarpal fractures have an incidence rate of 13.6 per 100000, affects males more than females and accounts for 33% of all hand fractures. No evidence-based rehabilitation program exists for second to fifth metacarpal fractures potentially causing poor health related quality of life, decrease hand function and disability.MethodsExperimental study designs, quasi-experimental, cohort studies and case control studies for the last ten years from January 2008 to September 2018 with English as a language restriction will be included. Sources investigating hand rehabilitation, immobilization, splinting and home programs after surgical and conservative management for second to fifth metacarpal fractures, will be included. MEDLINE, Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL, CAB Abstracts, Health Source - Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, SPORTDiscus, Africa-Wide Information, MasterFILE Premier, Google Scholar and other grey literature will be searched. Two independent reviewers will independently conduct the study selection, methodology quality assessment and extraction of data. Findings will be pooled, meta-analysis performed, Summary of Findings provided according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis if deemed appropriate.DiscussionIt is imperative to implement effective rehabilitation to prevent poor health related quality of life, decrease hand function and disability. In this systematic literature review, we will determine the existing evidence on hand rehabilitation programs used after post-surgical and conservative management for 20 to 59-year-old humans who sustained a single or multiple second to fifth metacarpal fracture.