We are delighted to announce that Mr Joseph Fennelly has been awarded the Best Paper Prize (Trauma) at this year’s British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) Scientific Meeting in Edinburgh!

Mr Fennelly presented the UK-DRUID study (Distal Radioulnar Joint Dislocations in UK Virtual Fracture Clinics), a national multicentre prospective cohort study investigating the incidence, characteristics and injury patterns associated with distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) dislocations across the UK.

 

A Milestone for National Collaborative Research

UK-DRUID marks an important milestone as the first study undertaken through DARFI, representing a significant step forward for this developing national collaborative research network.

The study brought together eight NHS centres, examining 39,562 orthopaedic referrals and identifying 75 cases of DRUJ dislocation.

Key findings included:

• DRUJ dislocations occurred in approximately 1 in 527 orthopaedic referrals (0.19%).
• Most dislocations were associated with fractures.
• The direction of dislocation was significantly associated with the injury pattern.
• The study introduced the DRUID classification, providing a unified framework for describing these injuries.

A Collaborative Achievement

This award recognises not only the quality and importance of the research but also the commitment of the many collaborators who made the project possible.

A huge thank you to all colleagues and collaborators across the UK who contributed to this first DARFI sub-study. National collaborative research relies on the enthusiasm, dedication and hard work of individuals and teams across multiple centres.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the research team at NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group for their invaluable support in facilitating this research.

Looking ahead

The success of UK-DRUID and this recognition at the BSSH Scientific Meeting provide an excellent foundation for DARFI and its future collaborative research initiatives and we look forward to the publication of the results.

Congratulations to Mr Fennelly and the entire UK-DRUID research team on this fantastic achievement!