• A I Michael, C P Isamah, and I C Ugwu.
• Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
• Niger J Clin Pract. 2024 Jul 1; 27 (7): 880885880-885.

BackgroundThe management of upper limb injury is aimed at a timely return to work, and other activities of daily living. The modified hand injury severity score (MHISS) has been found to predict a return to work. Upper limb injuries are common in our subregion, but there is little or no data on the time to return to work.AimThis study, therefore, aimed to determine the prevalence of return to work and to identify the predictors of time to return to work following reconstruction of upper limb injuries.MethodThis was a cross-sectional analytic study carried out between April 2022 and March 2023. The statistical test was at a confidence interval of 95%, and statistical significance set at a P value of <0.05.ResultA total of 49 upper-limb-injured patients had reconstruction in the time under review. Male-to-female ratio was 4.4:1. The mean MHISS was 87.9 ± 79.2. Of the 43 patients who participated in the return-to-work analysis, 41.9% had returned to work, with a mean time of 14.3 ± 10.5 weeks. Work-related injuries (r = 0.357, P = 0.019), male gender (r = 0.354, P = 0.020), and MHISS (r = 0.333, P = 0.029) correlated significantly with late return to work. On multiple logistic regression, work-related injuries (β =0.321, P = 0.037), MHISS (β =0.376, P = 0.032), and male gender (β =0.326, P = 0.044) were found to be the significant predictors of late return to work.ConclusionThere is a low prevalence of return to work, with a high mean time to return. Work-related injuries, MHISS, and male gender are significant predictors of time to return to work.Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice.

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