The acute management of ankle fractures (Augment) study: A prospective trainee led national collaborative audit of the Boast 12 guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Ankle fractures are one of the most common fractures in adults aged 20-65 years. The British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) and British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (BOFAS) jointly produced Standards for Trauma (BOAST) BOAST 12, with the aim of reducing morbidity by standardising care of these injuries. The primary aim of the AUGMENT study was to determine the extent and clinical effect of variation from BOAST 12. METHODS: AUGMENT was a multi-centre prospective trainee led audit of consecutive patients presenting with an ankle fracture within a four-week period. Data were collected on patient demographics, comorbidities, management and 12-week outcome. The BOAST 12 standards were divided into four subgroups; documentation, imaging, management and follow-up. Percentage compliance with each subgroup was analysed. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine impact of overall compliance on likelihood of discharge in follow-up period. FINDINGS: 971 patients were included across 52 sites. The overall rate of BOAST 12 compliance was 41.7%. Variations in practice were observed in clinical documentation, especially of neurovascular status, (40.7%) and VTE assessment (61.5%). Patient management compliance with all 16 of the BOAST 12 standards was associated with a higher rate of discharge during the 12-week follow-up period (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: AUGMENT has demonstrated that the management of ankle fractures is variable across the UK. Over half of patients had aspects of their care that were not BOAST 12 compliant. When compliance was observed, it was associated with earlier discharge from orthopaedic care.

The Current UK Consensus on the Management of Weber B and Posterior Ankle Fractures: A Questionnaire Study as Part of the Acute Management of Ankle Fractures (AUGMENT) Audit.

Ankle fractures are common conditions which are associated with significant morbidity when managed incorrectly. With the incidence due to triple by 2030, standards of practice were created by the British Orthopaedic Association and the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society to ensure optimal treatment. In spite of this, anecdotally there is still a variation in practice and therefore a questionnaire study was designed to explore clinician decision-making around Weber B and Posterior Malleolus ankle fractures. Five scenarios explored management regarding minimally and grossly displaced injuries, as well as the use of further imaging. The questionnaires were distributed via AUGMENT collaborators at their sites and at the British Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society congress 2018. About 315 questionnaires were completed and included in analysis. For Weber B injuries, overall there was a consensus across all respondents with minimally displaced and grossly displaced fractures being treated conservatively and operatively respectively. For Posterior Malleolus injuries, there was variation in practice between Foot and Ankle specialists and their non-Foot and Ankle colleagues. Computed tomography (CT) was more likely to be used to assess these injuries by specialists (97.50 vs 69.79%) and these injuries were more likely to be treated operatively across the board. This study identified key variation in practice of the management of Posterior Malleolar ankle fractures, including the use of imaging to further define the anatomy and the decision to operate. Foot and Ankle surgeons were more likely to organize CT scans and to surgically manage these injures.