Building a Culture of Advocacy Involvement

Eugene Stautberg III, MD

My father and I have many similarities, but when it comes to recycling, we just grew up in different eras. Every 2 to 3 weeks, I load four trash cans of paper, glass, plastic, and metal into my car and haul it over to the Galveston recycling center. It's a pain, inevitably adding more stains to my car floor. And yet I continue to recycle because, for as long as I can remember, I've been taught the importance of recycling. Now, it is second nature.

Taking a Second Look at Effectiveness of Viscosupplementation

Terry Stanton

When the AAOS first issued a clinical practice guideline (CPG) on nonarthroplasty treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in 2009, the evidence on the effectiveness of viscosupplementation (hyaluronic acid [HA] injections) as a treatment option was inconclusive. When the CPG was reviewed and reissued in 2013, the evidence—according to the work group—was undeniable: "We cannot recommend using hyaluronic acid for patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee," they wrote.

The 80-Hour Week: Impact on Residents

Brandon J. Erickson, MD; Jeremy M. Burnham, MD

Orthopaedic surgery residency has undergone many changes ranging from limitations on resident work hours and longer orthopaedic surgery rotations during the intern year, to increased documentation requirements for surgical and clinical "milestones." These changes were implemented to improve patient care, provide better resident lifestyles, and reduce resident fatigue. But whether changes in hours and rotations have actually delivered on these claims is an ongoing debate.