Table 7.

Patient Quotations on Trusting the Hand Surgeon

Quotation	Patient (Most Recent Treatment)
A.
“I mean I did research about [the surgeon] before I went to my first appointment and I realized what a great surgeon he was. I felt really lucky to be there and then for him to explain, ‘This is what we’re going to do and this is why we’re doing it’.”	63-y.o. female (VLPS)
“You know [the surgeon] was the expert and I totally trusted in the system and in the doctor and I just didn’t feel the need to explore it any further.”	67-y.o. female (VLPS)
B.
“I look to other people and not just my one health care provider because I think after a while you get to know too many situations and can ask, ‘How did that go wrong?’”	73-y.o. female (VLPS)
“I value [the recommendation of the surgeon] greatly, but with a great deal of skepticism. I have a feeling that much of the medical system is based on quick answers… they focus on this particular symptom or whatever without thinking of the whole person. I think that’s an error in diagnosing or treating.”	93-y.o. female (Casting)

VLPS, volar locking plating system; y.o., year old