Jesse Slade Shantz, MD, MBA presented three abstracts at the 125th Annual AOA meeting in Washington DC. The first of his presentations was on “The Validation of a Novel Expertise-based Global Assessment of Arthroscopic Skills in a Cadaveric Knee Model” According to Dr. Slade Shantz, few validated, objective tools exist which track improvement in arthroscopic skills. The objective of this study was to validate a global assessment of arthroscopic skills employing footage of arthroscopy performed by participants of various skill levels on a cadaveric knee. More importantly, the following study was designed to evaluate a process for the development of further objective skills assessments in orthopedic surgery.
The second abstract was on Surgeon-Therapist Communication: Do all MSK care team members see eye to eye. When therapists and orthopaedic surgeons communicate, this study demonstrates that surgeons perceive quality and completeness more favorably than therapists.
Finally, Dr. Slade Shantz presented “The Objective Assessment of Orthopedic Trauma Core Competencies: A Validation Study Utilizing a Bimalleolar Ankle Fracture Model.” This study provides the staff at the OTI a framework for assessing the skills of their trainees to produce better surgeons.
