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Concerning: Invitation to cooperate in developing multidisciplinary European consensus-based treatment guidelines for non-traumatic hand- and wrist disorders
(‘The HANDGUIDE study’)
 
 
Dear colleagues of the board of the national member society of the FESSH,
 
In this time of evidence based practice scientific treatment guidelines are needed. Besides, evidence based protocols and guidelines for interventions of hand disorders can help to further optimize the quality of care for our patients.
 
Therefore, we want to initiate a consensus project with the goal of developing European guidelines for interventions for five non-traumatic hand disorders: trigger finger, De Quervain’s disease, Dupuytren’s disease, carpal tunnel syndrome and Guyon canal syndrome.
 
We have finalized systematic reviews on the effectiveness of conservative and surgical interventions to treat the five hand disorders. These reviews provide insight in the current state-of-the-art regarding the evidence about the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions used to treat these disorders. Where such evidence is lacking, we need the assistance of experts who are experienced in the treatment of these disorders. The method we will use is the Delphi consensus strategy.
 
We have asked the boards of the European professional associations of hand surgeons (FESSH (Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand), P&RM (Physical & Rehabilitation medicine) physicians and hand therapists (EFSHT (The European Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy)) to participate in this consensus project by delegating experts in the field of hand rehabilitation to participate in the Delphi consensus strategies. Ultimate final goal is to achieve multidisciplinary consensus on European treatment guidelines for these five hand disorders. Therefore, we will conduct three web-based Delphi consensus projects that will be started consequently:
I           Tendinopathies of the hand, i.e. trigger finger, and De Quervain’s disease
II          Dupuytren’s disease
III          Nerve entrapments of the hand, i.e. the carpal tunnel syndrome and the Guyon canal syndrome
 
Delphi consensus strategy
In a Delphi consensus strategy an expert-panel is asked to answer questions concerning the specific topic. Then, through repeated feedback of the answers in several rounds consensus has to be developed. The advantage of this method is that it is a method in which the opinions of the experts are combined whilst bias through institution role, status, or dominant personality is avoided.
 
In a Delphi consensus procedure, the choice of the participants i.e. the experts is crucial, because there is a risk of bias in the selection of participants. This is where your help is needed. 
 
Selection of experts
We are looking for experts experienced in the three above mentioned fields.
 
An expert should:
1.                  be a medical or paramedical healthcare professionals with significant experience in treating patients with the non-traumatic hand disorders (tendinopathies, Dupuytren’s disease or entrapments respectively);
2.                  be considered to be key persons in the field of non-traumatic hand disorders by their own peers
3.                  have basic knowledge on the main principles of evidence based practice.
4.                  have sufficient knowledge of the English language.
 
A maximum of 10 experts per professional association (FESSH, P&RM physicians and EFSHT) can be delegated to participate in each Delphi consensus strategy.
 
The FESSH has accepted our invitation willing to participate in this Delphi consensus strategy to achieve European guidelines for treatment of the five hand disorders. Information regarding the HANDGUIDE study can be found on the FESSH website soon. 
 
We need your help to select the experts for the Delphi consensus strategy.
 
Experts selection procedure
 
We ask the executive board of your member country to select a maximum of three experts for each Delphi consensus strategy (tendinopathies, Dupuytren’s disease and nerve entrapments respectively).
The names of the selected experts can be filled in on the attached ‘expert form’.
The form must be send to Bionka Huisstede ( Bu mail adresi spam botlara karşı korumalıdır, görebilmek için Javascript açık olmalıdır )
 
In total 10 experts from each association (FESSH, P&RM physicians and EFSHT, which gives a total of 30 experts) will participate in each Delphi consensus strategy. Each expert can participate in only one of the three Delphi consensus strategies.
 
The results of each Delphi consensus strategy will be published in a scientific article. As one of the authors of each article, we will mention ‘the European HANDGUIDE group’. The name of each expert participating in that particular Delphi consensus strategy will be mentioned (with permission) in the acknowledgements. Furthermore, we will send the results of each Delphi consensus strategy to the board of each European organisation.
 
 
We hope to hear from you soon.
 
Yours sincerely, also on behalf of  Steven Hovius, PhD, Hand surgeon and Head of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam,
 
 
Bionka M.A. Huisstede, PhD, projectcoördinator of the HANDGUIDE study,
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Erasmus MC – University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, room H-016
P.O. Box 2040
3000 CA Rotterdam
The Netherlands