In the UK over 100,000 people break their wrist every year.

In the majority of hospitals in the UK, patients with a broken wrist will have their arm placed in a cast for support while the bone heals. After 4-6 weeks, the cast is taken off at the hospital.

A wrist splint might be used instead of a cast.

When the wrist has healed patients can safely remove the splint at home, without the need for an extra visit to hospital.

This makes things easier for the patient and may reduce the burden for the NHS.

Although both treatments are used routinely in hospitals, doctors and physiotherapists want to find out if a splint gives the same pain relief and level of recovery as a cast.

The DRAFT3 study, organised by The University of Oxford, will find out if treating a broken wrist with a removable splint gives the same pain relief and level of recovery as a cast.

Researchers will ask about 2000 people from hospitals across the UK to take part.

Half will have their broken wrist treated with a cast and the other half with a removable splint.

A process called randomisation is used to decide which treatment a participant receives.

There is an equal chance that you will be given a splint or a cast.

This process makes sure that the two groups of people are similar and a fair comparison can be made.

To work out how well patients in the study recover, they will be asked questions about any pain in

their wrist, how well their wrist is working and how they are feeling in general.

These questions will be asked several times during the first 12 months after their injury.

Answers can be entered on a secure website, written in a booklet that is sent through the post or over the phone.

At the end of the study, all answers will be combined to find out whether being treated for a broken wrist with a removable splint provides the same pain relief and level of support as a cast.

The doctors, nurses and research team are happy to answer any questions you may have about the DRAFT3 study.