Business and Practice Management Knowledge Deficiencies in Graduating Orthopedic Residents.

We conducted a study to determine the general level of knowledge that orthopedic residents have on business and practice management topics at graduation and to evaluate the level of knowledge that practicing orthopedic surgeons need in order to function effectively in a medical practice. Residency graduates from a single training program were asked to complete a survey that gathered demographic information and had surgeons rate their understanding of 9 general business and practice management skills and the importance of these skills in their current practice situation. The amount of necessary business knowledge they lacked at graduation was defined as a functional knowledge deficiency (FKD) and was calculated as the difference between the reported importance of a topic in current practice and the level of understanding of that topic at graduation (larger FKD indicates greater deficiency). Those in physician-managed practices reported significantly higher levels of understanding of economic analytical tools than those in nonphysician-managed practices. There were no other statistically significant differences among groups. Hospital-employed physicians had the lowest overall FKD (4.0), followed by those in academic practices (5.1) and private practices (5.9). Graduating orthopedic surgeons appear to be inadequately prepared to effectively manage business issues in their practices, as evidenced by the low overall knowledge levels and high FKDs.

Locked intramedullary nailing in the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children younger than 12 years of age: indications and preliminary report of outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Although flexible intramedullary nailing is a popular treatment option for femoral shaft fractures in juvenile and young adolescent patients, it may not be appropriate in some patients because of patient size and/or fracture configuration. METHODS: Retrospective review over a 3-year period identified 17 skeletally immature patients (18 fractures) with femoral shaft fractures treated with noncannulated rigid locked intramedullary nailing because of a length-unstable fracture or patient overweight or obesity. The 14 males and 3 females had an average age of 10 years at the time of injury (range, 7.6 to 11.9 y). Their average weight was 38.3 kg (range, 22.7 to 52 kg), with an average body mass index of 18.9 (range, 13.9 to 26.9). RESULTS: All fractures united at an average of 13 weeks, with no osteonecrosis, malalignment, malunion, or hardware failure. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results suggest that noncannulated, rigid, locked intramedullary nails can be used safely and effectively for selective fixation of femoral shaft fractures in skeletally immature patients younger than 12 years of age. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.