Association Between Social Media Activity and Ratings on Physician Review Websites Among Orthopaedic Surgeons With an Active Online Media Presence.

Background: Social media has the potential to play a substantial role in the decision-making of patients when choosing a physician for care. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an association exists between physician social media activity and patient satisfaction ratings on physician review websites (PRWs) as well as number of reviews. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant association between physician social media utilization and patient satisfaction ratings. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine database was queried for the complete membership list. The online media profile and level of activity of the members were evaluated, and an online media presence score was calculated. The surgeons with the approximately top 10% of online media presence scores were compiled to assess the relationship between social media usage (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook) and patient satisfaction ratings on the Google Reviews, Healthgrades, and Vitals PRWs. Bivariate analysis was performed to compare demographic variables and level of online presence. Results: A total of 325 surgeons were included in the analysis. The most common platform used was Facebook (88.3%). There was no significant relationship between active social media use and overall ratings on any of the PRWs. Active Twitter use was associated with a greater number of ratings on all review websites, a greater number of comments on Google Reviews and Healthgrades, and shorter patient-reported clinic wait times on Healthgrades. Active Instagram use was associated with a greater number of comments on Vitals. No relationships were observed for YouTube or Facebook. Conclusion: For the included sports medicine surgeons who were most active on social media, no significant relationships were found between social media use and overall ratings on PRWs. Of all the platforms assessed, active use of Twitter was the only significant predictor of more reviews on PRWs. Thus, when deciding which form of social media engagement to prioritize in building one's practice, Twitter may serve as a relatively low-demand, high-reward option.

Evaluation of Social Media and Online Utilization Among Members of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Implications in Practice.

Background: Social media has the potential to act as an avenue for patient recruitment, patient and surgeon education, and expansion of the physician-patient relationship. Purpose: To evaluate the existing social media presence among members of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) to describe trends in different subgroups within the membership. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The AOSSM database was queried for a complete membership list. Members were excluded from analysis if they were not orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons practicing in the United States. Demographic characteristics, online media profiles, and levels of online presence were evaluated, and an online media presence score was calculated. Bivariate analysis was performed to compare demographic variables and levels of online presence. Results: A total of 2870 surgeons were included in the analysis. LinkedIn was the most used platform (56%), while YouTube was the least used (10%). Surgeons in academic practice had a significantly greater overall social media presence than their private practice counterparts. Female surgeons had a more significant active online presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook than male surgeons. Surgeons practicing in the Northeast had a greater social media presence than those in any other United States region, and surgeons in the earlier stages of practice (0-14 years) were more likely to utilize social media than their more senior colleagues (≥15 years of practice). On multivariate analysis, surgeons in the earlier stages of practice were more likely to have active Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, and female surgeons were more likely to have an active Facebook account. Additionally, multivariate analysis revealed that a greater number of ResearchGate publications were associated with male sex and having an academic practice. Comparatively, active Twitter and Instagram use was associated with having an academic practice. Conclusion: The most used platform in this surgeon population was LinkedIn. Orthopaedic surgeons in academic practice, female surgeons, those early in their career, and those practicing in the Northeast highlighted a subset of the sports medicine community who were more likely to have an active online presence compared to the rest of the AOSSM.

Biceps Tenodesis in Patients Age 35 Years and Younger Yields Favorable Clinical Outcomes With Variable Rates of Return to Sport and Complications: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: To systematically evaluate reported clinical outcomes, return-to-sport (RTS) rates, and complications following biceps tenodesis in patients aged 35 years and younger and compare outcomes between overhead and nonoverhead athletes. METHODS: A literature search was performed by querying Scopus, EMBASE, and PubMed computerized databases from database inception through August 2022 in accordance with the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Studies that evaluated clinical outcomes following biceps tenodesis in patients aged 35 years or younger were included. Study quality was assessed via the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies criteria. Clinical outcomes, RTS rates, and complications were aggregated. RESULTS: Nine studies from 2011 to 2022 comprising 161 patients (mean age, 25 years; range, 19.7-28.9 years) were included. At an average follow-up of 59 months, postoperative American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score ranged from 81.6 to 96 and the mean visual analog scale score ranged from 0 to 2.1. Mean overall RTS rate ranged from 35% to 100% for the entire patient cohort 35% to 86% among overhead athletes, and 46% to 100% among nonoverhead athletes. Among the overhead athletes, 24 were baseball pitchers. 17% to 100% able to return to sport at any level. Complications were reported in 0% to 19% of patients. 0 to 18% of patients underwent revision surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Biceps tenodesis in patients 35 years of age and younger yields a wide variability in reported RTS rates, excellent clinical outcome scores, and low but variable reported rates of complications, reoperations, and failure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV; Systematic Review of Level III and IV studies.

Social Media in Hip Arthroscopy Is an Underused Resource That Enhances Physician Online Reputation.

Purpose: To analyze the impact of professional social media (SM) presence, activity level, and physician practice-specific variables on online ratings and rating frequency for hip arthroscopists across 3 leading physician review websites (PRWs). Methods: The Arthroscopy Association of North America and American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine directories were queried to identify practicing hip arthroscopists. Physicians included were residency-trained surgeons practicing within the United States. Surgeon ratings, comments, and reviews were compiled from 3 PRWs (Google, Healthgrades, Vitals). Google searches assessed for professional Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts and demographic information. Surgeons were considered active if they posted the month before data collection. Logistical regression and a univariate model analyzed effects of demographic factors and other variables on SM use and PRW statistics. Results: In total, 555 surgeons met inclusion criteria (93.2% male, 6.8% female); 41% had a professional SM account (27.4% Facebook, 24.3% Twitter, 12.1% Instagram). Few surgeons with SM actively posted (30.5% Facebook, 43.7% Twitter, 37.3% Instagram). Surgeons with any SM had significantly greater number of ratings on all review websites (P < .001). Linear regression revealed academic physicians had lower number of ratings (P = .002) and average ratings (P < .001). Instagram users had an average 12.4 more ratings. Surgeons more likely to use SM resided in greater population cities (990 vs 490 [per 1,000]) with higher surgeon density (3.3 vs 2.2). Conclusions: Most hip arthroscopists have no professional SM, and fewer frequently post content. SM presence significantly increases the number of ratings on PRWs but does not affect overall rating. Surgeons using SM practice in more populous cities with more competition. Academic surgeons had fewer ratings and lower average ratings. A professional Instagram account can increase the number of online ratings. Clinical Relevance: Understanding how SM presence affects an orthopaedic surgeon's practice may provide information on how surgeons best connect with patients.

Results of Low Distal Femur Periprosthetic Fractures.

OBJECTIVES: To compare retrograde intramedullary nail (RIMN) and open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) in very distal periprosthetic distal femur fractures (PDFFs) to determine whether RIMN is an acceptable option for these fractures that are often considered too distal for IMN due to limited bone stock. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative series. SETTING: Level 1 trauma center. PATIENTS: Patients were treated with fracture fixation for a very distal PDFF, defined as the fracture extending to the anterior flange of the implant or distal. Fifty-six patients met inclusion criteria, with 8 excluded for less than 12 months of follow-up. INTERVENTION: The intervention involved fracture fixation with RIMN or ORIF. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was unplanned return to surgery. Secondary outcomes included fracture union, radiographic alignment, visual analog score, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) and Pain Interference. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 27 months. Twelve patients were treated with ORIF and 36 with RIMN. Twenty-one fractures were at the flange, and 27 extended distal to the flange. There were no differences between fixation methods for reoperation, deep infection, nonunion, malunion, visual analog score pain score, and PROMIS Pain Interference score. The mean PROMIS PF score was higher in the RIMN group compared with that in the ORIF group. There were 5 reoperations in the RIMN group (14%) and 3 in the ORIF group (25%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest series, to the best of our knowledge, of a subset of very distal PDFFs. The results suggest that RIMN may be an acceptable treatment option for these very difficult fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Improved outcomes for proximal humerus fracture open reduction internal fixation augmented with a fibular allograft in elderly patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To date, no meta-analysis has been performed on the efficacy of fibular allograft augmentation for the management of proximal humerus fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiographic and clinical outcomes of proximal humerus fractures treated with a locking compression plate (LCP) with or without fibular allograft augmentation. METHODS: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and SCOPUS were queried in June of 2021 for literature comparing the radiographic and clinical outcomes for patients with proximal humerus fractures that were treated with an LCP only or an LCP augmented with a fibular allograft. Data describing study design, level of evidence, demographic information, final follow-up, radiographic changes in humeral head height (HHH), radiographic changes in neck shaft angle (NSA), final American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores, final Constant-Murley scores, and major complications were collected. Risk of bias was assessed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS). A meta-analysis was performed using pooled weighted mean differences (WMD) to compare changes in HHH, NSA, final ASES and final Constant-Murley scores between the 2 groups; a pooled odds ratio (OR) was used to compare complications between the groups. RESULTS: Ten studies with a total of 802 patients were identified. There was a significant difference that favored patients augmented with a fibular allograft for change in HHH (WMD = -2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2.49 to -2.31; P < .00001), change in NSA (WMD = -5.71; 95% CI, -6.69 to -4.72; P < .00001), final ASES scores (WMD = 5.08; 95% CI, 3.69-6.48; P < .00001), and OR for developing a major complication (OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.23-0.59; P < .0001). There was no significant difference in final Constant-Murley scores (WMD = 3.36; 95% CI, -0.21 to 6.93; P = .06) or revision surgery rate (P = .182) between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: The pooled WMD and prediction interval suggest that 95% of patients with proximal humerus fractures treated with an LCP augmented with a fibular allograft will have improved radiographic outcomes, improved ASES clinical outcome scores, and decreased odds of a major complication when compared with patients treated with an LCP alone. Limitations of this study include a relatively short average final follow-up time (<2 years) and a potential lack of standardization for radiographic outcomes among included studies.

Social media use by shoulder and elbow surgeons increases the number of ratings on physician review websites.

BACKGROUND: The use of physician review websites by patients is increasingly frequent. One potential way for shoulder and elbow surgeons to enhance their online reputation and attract patients is via social media, yet its impact is unknown. This study sought to analyze the effect of social media use on the number of online ratings and overall rating of shoulder and elbow surgeons. We secondarily studied variables affecting social media use. METHODS: The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons directory was probed to identify practicing surgeons. Surgeon evaluation data, including ratings, comments, and reviews, were compiled from 3 physician review websites (Google, Healthgrades, and Vitals). Google was queried to assess for a professional Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account, as well as obtain information on surgeon training, practice location, and other demographic variables. RESULTS: A total of 646 surgeons met the inclusion criteria (93.8% male and 6.2% female surgeons). Overall, 37% had a professional social media account (Facebook, 23.1%; Twitter, 24.1%; and Instagram, 9.4%). Linear regression analysis showed that Facebook use correlated with an average increase of 48.6 in the number of ratings. No social media platform correlated with physician rating. The surgeons more likely to use social media were those who graduated residency in 2000 or later (40.8% vs. 29.2%), those who practiced in cities with higher populations (mean, 1188.9 vs. 708.4 [per 1000]), and those with more surgeons practicing in the same city (mean, 7.0 vs. 5.0). CONCLUSION: The majority of shoulder and elbow surgeons do not have a professional social media account. Those using this platform are younger and located in more populous cities with more competition. Having a professional social media profile was not correlated with ratings, but there was a positive association with the number of online ratings, and Facebook had the strongest association. Surgeon ratings are overwhelmingly positive with minimal variability; therefore, a high number of ratings confirms a surgeon's exceptional reputation. The residency graduation year, city population, and number of nearby surgeons affected ratings, although the absolute differences were minimal. For shoulder and elbow surgeons, a professional social media account correlates with an increase in the number of online physician ratings. Recent graduates practicing in competitive locations may feel increased pressure to leverage this in an attempt to build their practices.

Global white matter microstructural abnormalities associated with addiction liability score in drug naïve youth.

Abnormalities in brain white matter (WM) structure have been reported in youths having a family history of substance use disorders (SUDs). It was hypothesized that these abnormalities constitute features of the liability for SUDs transmitted across generations. The association between severity of intergenerational risk for SUD, measured by the Transmissible Liability Index (TLI), and white matter microstructure was examined. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measured WM microstructure in forty-four drug-naïve 10-14 year-olds (N = 19 with parental SUD). Metrics of WM microstructure (i.e., fractional anisotropy, radial diffusivity, mean diffusivity and axial diffusivity) were quantified across the whole brain and in four tracts of interest: anterior corona radiata, superior and inferior longitudinal fasciculi and superior fronto-occipital fasciculi. The TLI was completed by the youths, their parents and, when available, their teachers. The relationship between WM structure and TLI score across the entire group was evaluated using linear multiple regression and between group comparisons were also examined. Fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity in multiple tracts across the brain were significantly associated with TLI scores. Confirming and extending prior research, the findings indicate that global atypicality in WM tracts was linearly related to liability for eventual SUD development in drug naïve youths.