Sociodemographic Variables Are Rarely Reported in Studies Investigating Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the reporting of sociodemographic variables in studies related to ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction.

METHODS

A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched on April 9, 2024, using the terms "medial ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction," "ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction," "ulnar collateral ligament surgery," or "Tommy John Surgery." Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials, case control studies, cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and case series in English. The presence of sociodemographic variables, including sex or gender and age, as well as the presence of sociodemographic variables, including race, ethnicity, insurance status, income, housing status, work status, and level of education were collected. Descriptive statistics and χ tests or Fisher exact tests were used for analysis.

RESULTS

The initial database search yielded 1,504 studies, with 831 duplicates removed and an additional 598 studies excluded after title and abstract screening. Of the remaining 75 studies, 31 were excluded after full-text screening, leaving 44 studies for inclusion, all published between 2006 and 2024. Among these, sociodemographic variables (e.g., race: 0/44, ethnicity: 0/44, insurance status: 0/44, level of education: 10/44, income: 0/44, work status: 12/44) were reported significantly less frequently than demographic factors such as age (42/44; 95.5%), and sex or gender (24/44; 54.5%; < 0.05). There was no significant difference in reporting of any sociodemographic variables among included journals ( = .83) or by year of publication ( = .67).

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review highlights a critical lack in the reporting of sociodemographic variables within studies examining UCL reconstruction, with a significantly greater rate of reporting of demographic factors, such as age and sex or gender, compared with sociodemographic variables like race and ethnicity.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, systematic review of level II-IV studies.