Clinical Research Directory

Craniomaxillofacial and Upper Extremity Allotransplantation

The purpose of this study is to evaluate functional and aesthetic outcomes of combined facial and upper extremity composite tissue allografts on patients who have not achieved functional and aesthetic outcomes with conventional reconstructive surgical strategies and prosthetic devices.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Adolfsson-Björnsson Upper Extremity Activity Scale (ABAS)

Activity limitation is a common problem in individuals with upper extremity disorders. Many conditions involving the shoulder complex such as traumatic and non-traumatic upper extremity pain, subacromial impingement, postoperative pain, rotator sheath tears, rotator sheath tendinopathy, shoulder arthritis, adhesive capsulitis, shoulder instabilities may lead to limitations in activities of daily living due to pain and/or symptoms. Therefore, evaluation of upper extremity activities and determination of possible limitations have an important place in the management of the disease process. Until now, symptom-related activities of daily living in patients with upper limb disorders have often been assessed with the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH) and the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). However, in the development of these scales, only statements describing specific activities were used and items were not scored from easy to difficult according to activity level. There is no scale specifically developed for upper extremity pathologies that grades upper extremity activity level according to a certain level of difficulty. In order to fill this gap in the literature, Adolfsson et al. developed 'The Adolfsson-Björnsson Upper Extremity Activity Scale (ABAS)' to evaluate activities of daily living according to the perceived difficulty level in individuals with upper extremity injuries. Cross-cultural adaptation, validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the ABAS have not been studied. The aim of this study was to make a cross-cultural Turkish adaptation of the 'The Adolfsson-Björnsson Upper Extremity Activity Scale (ABAS)' and to investigate the validity, reliability and psychometric properties of the Turkish version on individuals with upper extremity disorders.

Early Functional Response as a Predictor of Clinical Outcomes in Hand Rehabilitation: A Prospective Feasibility Study Using a Digital Monitoring System

This study investigates whether early changes observed during the first weeks of hand and upper extremity rehabilitation can predict patient outcomes months later. In rehabilitation practice, clinicians make numerous decisions each session regarding exercise type, frequency, duration, and treatment approach. Most of these decisions are currently made without systematic longitudinal data. This study addresses three fundamental questions using data collected during routine clinical care: (1) Can the rate of improvement in the first weeks of treatment predict functional status months later, across both session-based and milestone-based time points? (2) Are there meaningfully different recovery profiles among hand rehabilitation patients? (3) Is there measurable variation in clinical decision-making among patients with similar profiles, and does this variation relate to outcomes? A digital patient monitoring platform developed by the principal investigator, a physiotherapist and academic researcher specializing in hand rehabilitation serves as the data collection infrastructure. The platform records standard clinical assessment measures in a structured format and has been in active clinical use at Hacettepe University prior to this study. For research purposes, the system has been expanded to include structured capture of patient-reported outcomes, patient global impression of change, treatment protocol coding, home exercise adherence, and automated calculation of early response metrics. This is a 12-month prospective observational cohort study enrolling a minimum of 60 patients. Data are stored securely on the university's institutional network. Patients are anonymized using identification codes. The study is subject to Hacettepe University Ethics Committee approval and participant informed consent. Findings are expected to generate evidence supporting data-driven clinical decision-making in rehabilitation and to provide a feasibility foundation for a larger multi-center study.