The Effectiveness of Minor Procedure as the Management of Onychocryptosis in Community Podiatry Setting: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Onychocryptosis is a common and debilitating condition that often require surgical management. Despite this minor procedure being the most common and effective method in managing this condition, as well as being one of the essential services provided by Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) registered podiatrists, there is limited evidence around the effectiveness of this procedure in the community setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a non-invasive minor procedure for the management of onychocryptosis. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken within the community podiatry department. All patients who underwent minor procedure for the management of onychocryptosis between June 2018 and December 2019 were included in this study. The data were collected from the electronic patient records using a comprehensive data collection tool. Recurrence rate and infection rate were calculated to determine the effectiveness of the minor procedure. Results: 354 minor procedures were performed on 272 patients presenting with onychocryptosis. The recurrence rate of nail regrowth following intervention was 5.6% (N=20). Patients <40 years old were more likely to experience a recurrence of nail regrowth following an intervention (N=16). The postoperative infection rate was 8.8% (N=31). Patients who had a partial nail avulsion procedure were more likely to experience postoperative infection compared to total nail avulsion.Conclusions: Although the management of onychocryptosis with this minor procedure is effective within the community podiatry department, incorporation of evaluation of patient satisfaction following this procedure is suggested within the recommendations. The limitations of this study have been highlighted and a mixed method research project is recommended to explore this area of specialty to improve patient outcome.