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Medical Author:

Chad Tarr, MD

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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After the initial evaluation and treatment, almost all hand injuries will require close follow-up with a hand specialist and a primary care doctor. Most injuries will need to be checked within one week after the first evaluation and treatment. Some injuries may require a series of office visits or interventions (with tendon lacerations, infections, fractures, second- or third-degree burns) to achieve complete healing while others (simple or shallow cuts, first-degree burns, small fingertip amputations) may only require one or no follow-up visits.

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