OBJECTIVE Optimal care in RA includes early use of DMARDs to prevent joint damage and hopefully decrease the need for costly surgical interventions. Our objective was to determine whether a reduced rate of orthopaedic surgery was evident for persons with RA who saw a rheumatologist early in the disease course. METHODS We studied persons who had a diagnosis of RA based on billing code data in ...

BACKGROUND A poor understanding of cost among healthcare providers may contribute to high healthcare expenditures. Currently, it is unclear whether and how much surgeons know about the costs of implantable medical devices (IMDs). QUESTIONS/PURPOSES We (1) determined the level of comfort with orthopaedic IMD costs among orthopaedic residents and attending surgeons, (2) quantified how accuratel...

Thirty years ago, in 1984, Dr. Igor A. S. Bitenc, M.D., F.R.C.S.(C), a retired orthopaedic surgeon from Canada, who was of Yugoslav descent, and who had always remained attached to his original homeland, founded a travelling fellowship for young orthopaedic surgeons from former Yugoslavia named the "Anica Bitenc Travelling Fellowship" after his late mother. The first Fellow visited Canada in 19...

Professor Nicola Maffulli is a Consultant Orthopaedic and Sports Injury Surgeon and has published over 800 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals and 12 books on Orthopaedic Surgery and in Sports Medicine. Professor Maffulli has a particular scientific interest in the physiopathology of sports injuries, including anterior cruciate ligament and tendon injuries, and great expertise in arth...

BACKGROUND Improving national healthcare services through the enhancement of primary care, is a major challenge in many countries. AIM To assess the prevalence of those orthopaedic cases that could be managed by a primary healthcare system. METHOD Between January 2001 and January 2006 a total of 39 172 patients attended the orthopaedic emergency department (ED) of Laikon University Hospital...

Introduction: This study investigates the current practice of surgeons in the United Kingdom with regards to their usage of prophylactic antibiotics for percutaneous orthopaedic procedures. Methods: An electronic survey of 10 questions was devised and sent to all members of the British Orthopaedic Association. Three hundred and three replies were obtained (172 consultants, 131 trainees). Result...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this systematic review was to critically appraise the literature on the accuracy of orthopaedic tests for the spine. METHODS Multiple orthopaedic texts were reviewed to produce a comprehensive list of spine orthopaedic test names and synonyms. A search was conducted in MEDLINE, MANTIS, CINAHL, AMED and the Cochrane Library for relevant articles from inception up to D...

Following the publication in 2007 of the guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE) for patients undergoing surgery, concerns were raised by British orthopaedic surgeons as to the appropriateness of the recommendations for their clinical practice. In order to address these concerns NICE and the British Or...

BACKGROUND Role substitution is a strategy employed to assist health services manage the growing demand for musculoskeletal care. Corticosteroid injection is a common treatment in this population but the efficacy of its prescription and delivery by physiotherapists has not been established against orthopaedic standards. This paper investigates whether corticosteroid injection given by a physiot...

John Kirkup, the distinguished orthopaedic surgeon and archivist recently published a book describing the history of amputation. This annotation highlights the importance of this work and the particular relevance of many of its themes to current orthopaedic and trauma practice.