Purpose
“Grit” is defined as the perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Thus, grittier
patients may have a better function after common hand procedures; however, this is
not well-documented in the literature. Our purpose was to assess the correlation between
grit and self-reported physical function among patients undergoing open reduction
internal fixation (ORIF) for distal radius fractures (DRFs).
Methods
Between 2017 and 2020, patients undergoing ORIF for DRFs were identified. They were
asked to complete the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire before surgery and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery.
The first 100 patients with at least 1-year follow-up also completed the 8-question
GRIT Scale, a validated measure of passion and perseverance for long-term goals measured
on a scale of 0 (least grit) to 5 (most grit). The correlation between the QuickDASH and GRIT Scale scores was calculated using Spearman rho (ρ).
Results
The average GRIT Scale score was 4.0 (SD, 0.7), with a median of 4.1 (range, 1.6–5.0).
The median QuickDASH scores at the preoperative, 6-week postoperative, 6-month postoperative, and
1-year postoperative time points were 80 (range, 7–100), 43 (range, 2–100), 20 (range,
0–100), and 5 (range, 0–89), respectively. No significant correlation was found between
the GRIT Scale and QuickDASH scores at any time.
Conclusions
We found no correlation between self-reported physical function and GRIT levels in
patients undergoing ORIF for DRFs, suggesting no correlation between grit and patient-reported
outcomes in this context. Future studies are needed to investigate the influence of
individual differences in character traits other than grit on patient outcomes, which
may help better align resources where needed and further the ability to deliver individualized,
quality health care.
Type of study/level of evidence
Prognostic IV.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 04, 2023
Accepted:
September 15,
2022
Received:
March 16,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2023 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved.
