A Study of Patients undergoing Trigger Finger Release Surgery in a Primary Care setting – Organisational Capabilities, Outcomes and Benefits

Abstract Background Trigger finger is a common hand condition in which a finger is unable to fully extend due to a thickening of the tendon and its sheath, causing the finger to lock in a bent position. Aim To assess the viability of carrying out Trigger Finger surgeries in NHS primary care in terms of clinician and patient acceptance, experience and outcomes, and operational requirements of this service for wider application. Design and Setting In this study, a total of 214 Trigger Finger Release Surgery procedures carried out between 22nd August 2019 and 25th October 2022 by a single hand surgeon in a single Primary Care surgery in Leicester, United Kingdom. Methods Data were analysed using data from SystemOne, which is a patient database linked with the National Health Service (NHS). Results and Conclusion Herein, we identify the opportunity to significantly reduce pressures on secondary care orthopaedic referrals as well as offer patients faster and effective surgical treatment within a primary care setting utilising far less NHS resources. How this fits in There are huge challenges in addressing long orthopaedic waiting lists in UK secondary care, therefore these can be alleviated by completing standard and non-complex cases by qualified surgeons in the primary care sector. We describe a clinic set-up including operational requirements and positive patient outcomes for Trigger Finger surgeries carried out within a primary care network in Leicester, UK.