scholarly journals Interprofessional Relationships between Orthopaedic and Podiatric Surgeons in the UK

2008 ◽  
Vol 90 (8) ◽  
pp. 663-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Isaac ◽  
SE Gwilym ◽  
IN Reilly ◽  
TE Kilmartin ◽  
WJ Ribbans

INTRODUCTION The first comprehensive report on the interprofessional relationships between foot and ankle surgeons in the UK is presented. MATERIALS AND METHODS A questionnaire was sent to orthopaedic surgeons with membership of the British Foot and Ankle Surgery Society (BOFAS), orthopaedic surgeons not affiliated to the specialist BOFAS and podiatrists specialising in foot surgery. The questionnaire was returned by 77 (49%) of the BOFAS orthopaedic consultant surgeons, 66 (26%) of non-foot and ankle orthopaedic consultant surgeons and 99 (73%) of the podiatric surgeons. RESULTS While most respondents have experience of surgeons working in the other specialty in close geographical proximity, the majority do not believe that this has adversely affected their referral base. The experience of podiatrists of the outcomes of orthopaedic surgery has been more positive than orthopaedic surgeons of podiatric interventions. Podiatrists are more welcoming of future orthopaedic involvement in future foot and ankle services than in reverse. However, there are a sizeable number of surgeons in both professions who would like to see closer professional liaisons. The study has identified clear divisions between the professions but has highlighted areas where there is a desire from many clinicians to work more harmoniously together, such as in education, training and research. CONCLUSIONS While major concerns exist over issues such as surgery by non-registered medical practitioners and the suitable spectrum of surgery for each profession, many surgeons, in both professions, are willing to provide training for juniors in both specialties and there is a wish to have closer working relationships and common educational and research opportunities than exists at present.

2020 ◽  
pp. 193864002098092
Author(s):  
Cornelia Keyser ◽  
Abhiram Bhashyam ◽  
Abdurrahman Abdurrob ◽  
Jeremy T. Smith ◽  
Eric Bluman ◽  
...  

Background Previous research indicates low disposal rates of excess postoperative narcotics, leaving them available for diversion or abuse. This study examined the effect of introducing a portable disposal device on excess opiate opioid disposal rates after lower extremity orthopaedic surgery. Methods This was a single site randomized control trial within an outpatient orthopaedic clinic. All patients 18 years or older, undergoing outpatient foot and ankle surgery between December 1, 2017 and August 1, 2018 were eligible. Patients were prospectively enrolled and randomized to receive standard opioid disposal instructions or a drug deactivation device at 2-week postoperative appointments. Participants completed an anonymous survey at 6-week postoperative appointments. Results Of the 75 patients surveyed, 68% (n = 26) of the experimental group and 56% (n = 21) of the control group had unused opioid medication. Of these, 84.6% of patients who were given Deterra Drug Deactivation System deactivation pouches safely disposed of excess medication, compared with 38% of controls (P = .003). When asked if they would use a disposal device for excess medication in the future, 97.4% (n = 37) of the experimental and 83.8% (n = 31) of the control group reported that they would. Conclusions Providing a portable disposal device with postoperative narcotic prescriptions may increase safe disposal rates of excess opioid medication following lower extremity orthopaedic surgery. Levels of Evidence Level I


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0004
Author(s):  
Rishin J. Kadakia ◽  
Keith Orland ◽  
Akhil Sharma ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Craig C. Akoh ◽  
...  

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Medical malpractice lawsuits can place significant economic and psychologic burden on a provider. Orthopaedic surgery is one of the most common subspecialties involved in malpractice claims. There is currently no study examining malpractice lawsuits within foot and ankle surgery. Accordingly, the purpose of this work is to examine trends in malpractice claims in foot and ankle surgery. Methods: The Westlaw legal database was queried for lawsuits pertaining to foot and ankle surgery from 2008 to 2018. Only cases involving medical malpractice were included for analysis. All available details pertaining to the cases were collected. This included plaintiff demographic and geographic data. Details regarding the cases were also collected such as anatomical location, pathology, complications, and case outcomes. Results: Forty nine malpractice lawsuits pertaining to foot and ankle were identified. Most plaintiffs in these cases were adult females, and the majority of cases occurred in the northeast (53.1%). The most common anatomical region involved in claims involved the forefoot (29%). The majority of these claims involved surgery (65%). Infection was the most common complication seen in claims (22%). The jury ruled in favor of the defendant surgeon in most cases (73%). Conclusion: This is the first study to examine trends in medical malpractice within foot and ankle surgery. Infection was the most frequent complication seen in claims and forefoot surgery was the most common anatomic location. A large portion of claims resulted after nonoperative treatment. A better understanding of the trends within malpractice claims is crucial to developing strategies for prevention.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0023
Author(s):  
Eric C. Gokcen ◽  
Joshua C. Luginbuhl ◽  
Joshua C. Luginbuhl

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Short-term surgical mission trips have become increasingly common, with many benefits seen by the hosts and the visitors when trips are done properly. However, few visitors ever attempt to measure the impact of their visit other than to list the surgeries that were performed. This study was performed to determine the perceived educational impact on orthopaedic attendings and residents of a Kenyan internationally accredited orthopaedic residency program and to determine the hosts’ opinions on the effectiveness of orthopaedic short-term trips. Methods: A survey was developed and distributed to four host attending surgeons and 9 host residents at the beginning of an orthopaedic mission trip. The visitors included four attending orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons from various US sites, and two orthopaedic surgery residents from one US program. Using a scale from 1-10, with 1 meaning definitely No, and 10 meaning definitely Yes, hosts were asked if they felt there was a need for more foot and ankle training in Kenya. A post-trip survey was distributed to the host attendings and residents to determine perceived competency in five topics of foot and ankle pathology. Results: When hosts were asked if they felt there was a need for more foot and ankle training in Kenya, attendings responded an average 8.3, and residents 9.4. When asked if a short-term trip would improve foot and ankle care for the community, attendings responded 7.8, and residents 7.9. A post-trip survey was completed by one attending and 3 residents to determine their perceived competency in five topics of foot and ankle pathology. Overall, they averaged an increase of +2.0 on the scale in their competency for all topics. The highest increase was with ankle instability and hallux valgus at +3.0, and the lowest increase was with Achilles pathology at +0.75. Conclusion: The survey supported the hypothesis that short-term orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery trips to this program are helpful according to the hosts. Furthermore, understanding the competencies of the hosts can help the visitors develop more impactful teaching by focusing on the topics of need. Further studies such as this should be routinely performed with medical trips to help determine their effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 818-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley M. McKissack ◽  
Yvonne E. Chodaba ◽  
Tyler R. Bell ◽  
Eva J. Lehtonen ◽  
Ibukunoluwa B. Araoye ◽  
...  

Background: For many patients, returning to driving after right foot and ankle surgery is a concern, and it is not uncommon for patients to ask if driving may be performed with their left foot. A paucity of literature exists to guide physician recommendations for return to driving. The purpose of this study was to describe the driving habits of patients after right-sided foot surgery and assess the safety of left-footed driving using a driving simulator. Methods: Patients who underwent right foot or ankle operations between January 2015 and December 2015 were retrospectively identified. A survey assessing driving habits prior to surgery and during the recovery period was administered via a REDCap database through email or telephone. Additionally, simulated driving scenarios were conducted using a driving simulator in 20 volunteer subjects to compare characteristics of left- versus right-footed driving. Results: Thirty-six of 96 (37%) patients who responded to the survey reported driving with the left foot postoperatively. No trends were found associating left-footed driving prevalence and socioeconomic status. In driving simulations, patients exceeded the speed limit significantly more ( P < .001) and hit other vehicles more ( P < .026) when driving with the right foot than the left. The time to fully brake and fully release the throttle in response to vehicular hazards was significantly prolonged in left-footed driving compared with right ( P = .019 and P = .034, respectively). Conclusion: A significant proportion of right foot ankle surgery patients engaged in left-footed driving during postoperative recovery. Driving with both the right and left foot presents a risk of compromised safety. This study provides novel objective data regarding the potential risks of unipedal left-footed driving using a standard right-footed console, which indicates that driving with the left foot may prolong brake and throttle release times. Further studies are warranted for physicians to be able to appropriately advise patients about driving after foot and ankle surgery. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azeem Tariq Malik ◽  
Shahryar Noordin

Total Ankle Arthroplasty (TAA) is a relatively new and evolving field in Foot and Ankle surgery. We conducted a citation analysis to identify the characteristics of the top 50 most cited articles on total ankle arthroplasty. Using the Web of Science database and the search strategy total ankle arthroplasty OR total ankle replacement, we identified 2445 articles. After filtering for relevant articles, the top 50 cited articles on total ankle arthroplasty were retrieved for descriptive and statistical analysis. The publication years ranged from 1979 to 2013. USA was the most productive country in terms of research output, followed by the UK. Though citation analysis has its flaws, this is a comprehensive list of the top 50 articles significantly impacting literature on total ankle arthroplasty. Based on our study, we conclude that there ismarked deficiency of high level articles with respect to the number of citations and future researches need to cater to this question to produce high quality studies.


2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Parker ◽  
Christopher J. Nester ◽  
Andrew F. Long ◽  
Jim Barrie

Quality outcome measures are the cornerstone of clinical research. A review of outcome measures used in foot and ankle surgery research reveals that the issues of validity, reliability and responsiveness of outcome measures have not been addressed. Most reports in the literature have attempted to evaluate patient perceptions of outcome following foot surgery. Underlying the many difficulties with these outcome measures is a lack of understanding of what patients perceive to be important in terms of outcome. Consequently none of the existing outcome measures can claim to be valid measures of patient perceptions of outcome, as there has been no research uncovering these perceptions. In addition, measures of general health status and quality of life in relation to outcome of foot and ankle surgery have been largely ignored to date.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 2473011416S0001
Author(s):  
Bryant Ho ◽  
Sandeep Soin ◽  
Ashlee MacDonald ◽  
Judith Baumhauer ◽  
John Ketz

Category: Sports Introduction/Purpose: Historically, nonoperative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures was felt to have significant re-rupture rates. With improved functional rehabilitation, recent studies have shown decreased rates of tendon re-rupture. Recent randomized control trials circa 2010 have shown no difference in re-ruptures between early functional rehabilitation and surgical repair. The goal of this study was to evaluate trends in surgical treatment of Achilles ruptures, based on data obtained from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS), in response to evolving level I evidence. Methods: All operative cases submitted by part II applicants from 2003 to 2015 for primary board certification by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) were retrospectively reviewed. Isolated primary Achilles tendon repairs for acute ruptures were identified by ICD-9 and CPT code. Surgeon information including fellowship training and geographic region, and patient information including age, sex, and complications were collected. Results: Out of 1,118,457 cases, there were 4792 Achilles repairs (0.43%) with 510 complications (10.6%). The rate of Achilles repairs increased from 2006 to 2010, when rates peaked at 0.57% of all collected cases (Figure 1). Since 2010, there has been a decrease in rates back to pre-2006 values. The changing rates appear to be largely driven by non-fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeons. The rates of sports and foot and ankle fellowship trained surgeons had mild increases in 2006 and decreases in 2010, but overall have slightly increased. The rate for patients greater than 65 have decreased from 2002 to 2004. Since then, there have been yearly variations, with minimal overall change. Examination of regional differences demonstrate the greatest change in the Northeast. All regions had increased rates in 2006 and decreased rates in 2010, with the exception of the Northwest and South regions, who showed little overall change. Conclusion: Surgical trends for Achilles ruptures corresponded closely to high impact level 1 publications in the literature in 2005 and 2010, suggesting evidence-based responsiveness in newly trained orthopaedic surgeons. These trends are less pronounced in the Northwest and South regions and for sports and foot and ankle specialists.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0005
Author(s):  
Haley M. McKissack ◽  
Yvonne E. Chodaba ◽  
Tyler R. Bell ◽  
Eva J. Lehtonen ◽  
Ibukunoluwa B. Araoye ◽  
...  

Category: Post-operative Driving Introduction/Purpose: For many patients, returning to driving after right foot and ankle surgery is a concern, and it is not uncommon for patients to ask if driving may be performed with their left foot. A paucity of literature exists to guide physician recommendations for return to driving. The purpose of this study is to describe the driving habits of patients after right-sided foot surgery and assess the safety of left foot driving using a driving simulator. Methods: Patients who underwent right foot or ankle operations between January 2015 and December 2015 were retrospectively identified. A survey assessing driving habits prior to surgery and during the recovery period was administered via REDCap database through email or telephone. Additionally, simulated driving scenarios were conducted using a driving simulator in 20 patients to compare characteristics of left versus right foot driving. Results: Thirty six of 96 (37%) patients who responded to the survey reported driving with the left foot postoperatively. No trends were found associating left foot driving prevalence and socioeconomic status. In driving simulations, patients exceeded the speed limit significantly more (p<0.001) and hit other vehicles more (p<0.026) when driving with the right foot than the left. Time to fully brake and fully release the throttle in response to vehicular hazards were significantly prolonged in left foot driving compared to right (p = 0.019 and p = 0.034, respectively). Conclusion: A significant proportion of right foot and ankle surgery patients engaged in left foot driving during postoperative recovery. Driving with the left foot may prolong brake and throttle release times, and is therefore not recommended.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0001
Author(s):  
Jimmy J. Chan ◽  
Javier Z. Guzman ◽  
Kevin K. Chen ◽  
Jesse C. Chan ◽  
Ettore Vulcano

Category: Hindfoot, Lesser Toes, Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: Orthopaedic surgeons are the 5th highest prescriber for narcotics in the USA. Foot and ankle procedures can be amongst some of the more painful procedures in orthopedics. A recent study demonstrated that patient underwent open foot and ankle surgeries averaged 27.2 tablets of narcotics with 37% of patients unwilling to stop at 3-month post-operative visit. Percutaneous techniques for foot and ankle procedures were recently approved in the U.S., which allow for significantly smaller incisions and minimal soft tissue disruption, which may potentially decrease post-operative pain and allow faster recovery. The purpose of this study is to assess the total opioid consumption and time for return to work following percutaneous foot and ankle surgery. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 50 consecutive patients underwent percutaneous foot surgery (bony procedures with or without soft tissue work) by a single surgeon. All surgeries were outpatient procedures and performed under general anesthesia with a long-acting popliteal nerve block. All patients were prescribed 30 tablets of 5 mg oxycodone, 50 tablets of 500 mg acetaminophen, and 9 tablets of 600 mg ibuprofen post-operatively for pain control. All patients were given a log sheet to record number of pain medications taken during the first 14 post-operative days. The log sheet and leftover pills were collected and counted to confirm the amount of pain medication used at 2-week post-operative visit. Time return to work was also recorded in subsequent follow-up appointment. Results: All 50 patients returned their log sheet at 2-week post-operative visit. Mean age was 47.1 years. N=36 (72%) were forefoot surgeries, N=2 (4%) midfoot, N=9 (18%) hindfoot, and N=3 (6%) combined. Average oxycodone tablets taken during the first 14 days after surgery was 3.3 tablets. By the 14th day, no patient was taking any narcotic medication. The average return to work was 18.9 days post-operatively. Patients with forefoot surgery averaged 2.2 tablets of oxycodone with return to work at 10.4 days. Midfoot surgery patients averaged 3.5 tablets with return to work at 33 days. Hindfoot surgery patients averaged 5.3 tablets with return to work at 38.9 days. Combined foot surgery patients averaged 11 tablets with return to work at 54.3 days. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that percutaneous foot and ankle surgery has significant reduction and cessation in narcotic consumption post-operatively when compared to the reported values with open procedures in current literature.


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