Abstract
Dear Sir,
‘A picture paints a thousand words’ (Kung Fu Tze/Confucius, approx. 2000 BC), but only if you can draw! Many plastic surgeons are talented operatively, but fewer are gifted artists. To this end, the prosthetic department designed a drawing aid to facilitate accurate documentation of hand examination and hand surgery. This small, lightweight perspex hand allowed the surgeon to consistently replicate an easily recognizable hand shape to facilitate accurate representation of traumatic wounds and surgical incisions (Figures 1 and 2). The design of the aid is such that, with simple manipulation, it can be used to represent either the left or right hand, palmar or dorsal surfaces. With the addition of a small hole at the base, the hand can be easily transported on a key-ring. This ‘handy’ tool has certainly improved the design of operative notes for those of us who are artistically challenged!
Example of use of template. Prosthetic hand template.
Footnotes
Conflict of interests
None declared.
Acknowledgement
Department of Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Department of Medical Illustrations, Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, Belfast.