JTO
02 Sep 2020

JTO - September 2020

Volume 8 Issue 3

From the Executive Editor

Behind every fragility fracture is a bigger picture. Behind the hip fracture on the cover of this JTO the bigger picture is that of my Mum and Dad on their 60th wedding anniversary standing in the steam of the Orient Express. In their late eighties they bowled, argued, had a various ailments and a pushy son; in fact they were ‘people’. However, should one of them have fallen over they may well have become a ‘NOF’. The labels, generalisations and preconceptions of our daily practice may be a route to an efficient pathway but are often a veneer that conceals or even promotes prejudice. Curiously, there was a time when being labelled a ‘NOF’ was a disadvantage as it led to delayed treatment delivered by juniors at the wrong time of day. Then there was a time when the ‘hip fracture’ label got you better treatment than your contemporaries with less lucrative fractures; you would be seen by a physician and put first on the list. We long for a utopia where the bigger picture is sought and recognised and the injured frail are treated on the basis of their individual needs. This issue explores various aspects of this large component of our trauma work.

The Fragility Fracture Network (FFN) UK is introduced by Matt Costa page 52. He describes it as being not a new Society but rather a network of activists to collate and share best practice. The articles that follow explore the problems and potential solutions of the injured frail. Hip fractures are readily accepted as being squarely in the province of the T&O surgeon but rib fractures are more of a Cinderella condition, with the potential to be admitted under the care of any of a number of specialities; always a risky situation for the patient. A constructive approach is to co-operate as is described in ‘Rib fracture management in the older adult; an opportunity for multidisciplinary working’, page 58. Once you have read the articles relating to the care of the injured frail you will likely be fully convinced of the need for constructive co-operative care. Now read ‘Workforce challenges in orthogeriatrics’. The demand far outstrips the supply of orthogeriatricians. Whilst this shortfall continues we must use the skills of those orthogeriatricians that we do have to their best effect. I suspect this will be by way of specialist nurse support and collaborative use of junior staff. We then need to play our part in making orthogeriatrics an attractive career choice. Ironically it ticks many of the boxes that we all considered before and then spouted out in our medical student interview ‘caring, diverse, holistic etc’ but does not have the kudos it deserves and has the significant barrier of years as the RMO.

If we are to change perceptions and adverse labels then we must consider what we can and cannot influence; idle pontification may be therapeutic for the speaker but is otherwise unproductive. ‘A networking event can reduce negative perceptions that deter female medical graduates from pursuing orthopaedic surgery’, page 34 describes how we may help repaint the landscape. The implication is that the white older male should accept that whilst they can support diversity it really does help to have role models. What an ideal time to hand the baton of the JTO Editorship to such a role model and wish Deborah Eastwood well.

Bob Handley, Vice President Elect

 

Subspecialty Section

References

A networking event can reduce negative perceptions that deter female medical graduates from pursuing orthopaedic surgery

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Nursing standards and fragility fracture outcomes

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FFN UK - Orthogeriatric medicine

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Rib fracture management in the older adult; an opportunity for multidisciplinary working

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Fragility Fractures, Frailty and Fragmented Care

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  6. Van De Ree CLP,  Landers MJF, Kruithof N, de Munter L, Slaets JPJ, Gosens T, de Jongh MAC et al. Effect of frailty on quality of life in elderly patients after hip fracture: A longitudinal study. BMJ Open. 2019;9(7):e025941.

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  13. Hewitt J, Carter B, Vilches-Moraga A, Quinn TJ, Braude P, Verduri A, et al. The effect of frailty on survival in patients with COVID-19 (COPE): a multicentre, European, observational cohort study. Lancet Public Health. 2020;5(8):e444-e451.

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Workforce challenges in orthogeriatrics

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  2. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (2020). COVID-19 rapid guideline: critical care in adults. NICE guideline [NG159] [cited 2020 Jul 16]. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng159.
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  8. Royal College of Physicians (2020). Chief registrar programme. [cited 2020 Jul 17]. Available at: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/chief-registrar-programme.

Appendices

A networking event can reduce negative perceptions that deter female medical graduates from pursuing orthopaedic surgery

Appendix 1: Survey questions before and after event 

Pre-event survey

1. What is your gender?

2. What age range do you belong to?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What profession do your parents belong to?

5. What stage are you in your medical career?

6. What specialty/specialties in medicine are you aspired to pursue?

Post-event survey

1. What is your gender?

2. On registration, we asked if you had a question that you would like answered during the event. Is that question answered?

3. We also asked if you had a specific objective you would like to achieve out of this event. Has that objective been achieved?

4. After this event, what is your view now about the following perceived barriers to women

pursuing orthopaedics? (answer from both females and males are welcome). Please tick only

one option "A" or "B" for each pair of options

1A. The "old boys club" culture seems to be less prevalent now and unlikely to stop aspired women from pursuing orthopaedics

1B. No change. The surgical culture of orthopaedics is that of an "old boys club" and women do not fit into that culture well

2A. Sexism is no longer so prevalent and tolerated now. A woman surgeon's life in orthopaedics can be good most of the time or at least equivalent to that in other surgical specialties.

2B. No change. Sexist and discriminatory attitude observed in orthopaedics can make life of a woman in this field very hard at times

3A. Women are strong enough to do orthopaedics, plus working conditions are changing (e.g. motorized tools) to make orthopaedic physically possible for women.

3B.Generally speaking, women are not as physically strong as men. Yet orthopaedics is a physically demanding specialty

4A. A work-life balance is not a unicorn and can be obtained by most women in orthopaedics

4B. Orthopaedic surgeons' lifestyle and training does not accommodate a family life very well

5A. Orthopaedics for women is not as isolating as it used to be. Quite a few successful ones are around.

5B. There are not enough women in orthopaedics currently so it can feel lonely, isolated and quite hard being a

woman in this specialty

Other (please specify)

5. Has the event provided you with some valuable ideas/solutions regarding how to break down personal barriers to pursuing a career in Orthopaedic Surgery?

6. Has the event provided you with some encouragement and aspiration towards pursuing orthopaedics as a career?

7. We may hold another event like this next year (similar theme, different content). Would you like to be invited to that one?

7. Is there any question would you like answered during this event?

8. Is there any specific objective you would like to achieve out of this event?

9. What do you think is/are the biggest barrier(s) to women pursuing orthopaedic surgery?

(answer from both females and males are welcome)

  • The surgical culture of orthopaedics is that of an "old boys club" and women do not fit into that culture well
  • Sexist and discriminatory attitude observed in orthopaedics can make life of a woman in this field very hard at times
  • Generally speaking, women are not as physically strong as men. Yet orthopaedics is a physically demanding specialty
  • Orthopaedic surgeons' lifestyle and training does not accommodate a family life very well
  • There are not enough women in orthopaedics currently so it can feel lonely, isolated and quite hard being a woman in this specialty
  • Other (please specify)

 

10. What are the potential barriers to pursuing a career in Orthopaedic Surgery for you personally?

 

11. What would be most helpful to encourage you to pursue orthopaedic * surgery?

Culture shift with less sexism so I feel that I belong and encouraged to succeed

A more diverse environment e.g. seeing more females being successful in orthopaedics

Seeing that it is possible to have a good work-life balance in orthopaedics

Career opportunities with a focus in women, to "level the playing field" somewhat

Other (please specify)

 

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