10 fingers, 10 problems

Ten Fingers, Ten Problems: Creating a Brief Primer on Common Finger Pathologies

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A Note from the Editor:
The Online Educational Resource (OER) detailed below was part of the University of Manitoba Emergency Medicine program’s “Research Day 2.0”. The academic flip to virtual learning prevented the program from hosting their usual in-person resident research day. Acknowledging the disruption COVID-19 caused with research projects, the residents instead set to work on creating OERs as teams in a bid to create the best educational deliverable. All forms of educational content were allowed: blogs, podcasts, videos, etc… or in this case, a competition-winning website.
– Patrick Boreskie

“Let’s be honest, finger injuries can be complicated”

Let’s be honest, finger injuries can be complicated, and the consequences of inappropriate treatment can be significant. The various pathologies can be hard to remember and differentiate when you don’t see them every day. When given the task of creating an online resource for our yearly Resident Research Day, this topic quickly came up as an area of interest for our team members. At one time or another, most of us have found ourselves looking through multiple wordy resources, attempting to ensure we are employing the right treatment and haven’t missed something that could potentially affect future hand function. The need for a simple, reliable, and succinct resource is why we created the website “Ten Fingers, Ten Problems”.

Click here to open the resource website

“The need for a simple, reliable, and succinct resource is why we created the website”

The process of creating this website involved dividing topics amongst resident team members. Each resident created a mock-up for each of the linked pathologies. Three of our residents, Dr. Velji, Dr. Black, and Dr. Quintana took the lead on designing the web page. The whole team was responsible for reviewing and editing as needed. Once we had something tangible, Dr. Guinn, an attending physician here in Winnipeg and our project supervisor offered both his expertise and editorial skills. Having received some great feedback from the team at CanadiEM, we made some changes and added a few more team members. As a team we felt it was imperative that our resource be reviewed by a Hand/Finger expert. Dr. Winter, a PGY-4 Plastic Surgery Resident, was brought onto the team as a content expert and editor. Finally, we recruited another attending physician, Dr. Bryski who is the talent behind the illustrations.

“The website strives to give practitioners a brief summary of the anatomy, the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of ten finger pathologies”

The website strives to give practitioners a brief summary of the anatomy, the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of ten finger pathologies. Reliability was of utmost importance in creating this website. Each section was created following a brief review of the literature, ensuring it was evidence-based. Ease of use, device compatibility, and readability were important features of a good online resource for our team. Accordingly, we picked a website builder and platform that would be compatible and easy to use on any device. We made sure that each page has a consistent layout so that learners can quickly navigate to the section of their choice and know exactly how it is structured and where to find key information.

Well that is our story – we hope you find our website useful and enjoyable to read because we most certainly enjoyed creating it!

Copyediting by Rutik Patel. Edited by Patrick Boreskie.

Alkarim Velji

Dr. Alkarim Velji is an Emergency Physician at the University of Alberta. He has an interest in medical education, simulation, and integration of technology in education. He recently completed a Masters of Education in Health Sciences Education.

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Holly Black

Dr. Holly Black is a Chief Emergency Medicine Resident at the University of Manitoba. She has a special interest in critical care, and is currently doing her Masters in Health Administration.

Janelle Quintana

Dr. Janelle Quintana is a PGY-2 Emergency Medicine Resident at the University of Manitoba. She has an interest in international medicine, pre-hospital care and medical education.

Ruchi Chhibba

Dr. Ruchi Chhibba is a PGY-5 Emergency Medicine Resident at the University of Manitoba. She has an interest in advanced resuscitation and ultrasound.

Pete Rodgers

Dr. Peter Rogers ia a PGY-3 Emergency Medicine Resident at the University of Manitoba. He is originally from Calgary, and was an exercise physiologist prior to Medicine. He has a particular interest in Toxicology.

Mohammad Pannu

Dr. Mohammad Pannu recently graduated from the CCFP Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University of Manitoba. He is currently working as staff in Winnipeg, and has a special interest in ultrasound.

Jess Winter

Dr. Jessica Winter is a PGY-4 Plastic Surgery Resident at the University of Manitoba.

Aaron Guinn

Dr. Aaron Guinn is an emergency room physician in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Lisa Bryski

Dr. Lisa Bryski is an emergency room physician in Winnipeg, Manitoba.