This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
The need for education is increasing among orthopaedic surgeons in Europe
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The recent 15th EFORT Congress – a combined program in partnership with the BOA had a significant increase in attendance by orthopaedic surgeons. For the sixth congress in a row, about 7,000 orthopaedic surgeons registered to attend the event; 7,400 orthopaedic surgeons registered for this year’s meeting. This raises the question of how EFORT can maintain such high attendance numbers over so many years, and I think the explanation is obvious.
First, the quality of the educational sessions at the congress must be of high quality to meet the demand of specialists, as well as trainees. It has become a standard practice during several recent EFORT Congresses to have the orthopaedic surgery specialty societies in Europe assist in the development of the program for each year’s congress. This has resulted in the attending society having a high-quality program on the agenda and drawing attention to itself and its members, which turns out to be a win-win situation. Furthermore, EFORT has received positive feedback about these specialty society sessions.
The second reason for the high attendance at the EFORT Congress is that European orthopaedic surgeons, as of late, have sought educational opportunities closer to home. There was a long-standing tradition whereby orthopaedic surgeons in Europe typically went abroad once or twice a year for education and updates in their field of specialization. Economic times have changed, and nearby educational opportunities in orthopaedics and traumatology, including the EFORT Congress, have a new appeal.
Although the best sessions of the 15th EFORT Congress are too numerous to discuss here, a symposium organized by the British Orthopaedic Association — “The International Healthcare Timebomb – An Avalanche of Orthopaedics” — was among the highlights. Presenters from the United Kingdom, United States and South Africa debated the challenges of reconfiguring health care services in Europe in the 21st century.
Another key aspect of the Congress was the 2014 Michael Freeman Honorary Lecture by Stuart Weinstein, MD, of Iowa City, Iowa, USA, on “The Evidence Base for Pediatric Orthopaedics.” This outstanding presentation reviewed the lifelong educational program by one of the world’s leading pediatric orthopaedic surgeons.
For the second year in a row, EFORT collaborated with the European Hip Society and European Knee Association to hold a full day of training, the “Advanced Course in THR & TKR,” which was a sold-out session. In all, about 350 surgeons were educated by European leaders during the course on Friday, 6 June, regarding such issues related to adult lower limb reconstruction as fixation, thromboprophylaxis, modularity, revisions and periprosthetic fractures. Next year, when the EFORT Congress is held in Prague, the course will be expanded to run a full day, but be held in two nearby rooms to enable more congress participants to attend.
The number of excellent sessions held in London is extensive, but I would be remiss if I did not mention that the quality of education offered by the free papers, poster sessions and the Nurse Day Session was also outstanding. With many of these features of the program here to stay, please make plans now to further your education at the 16th EFORT Congress, scheduled for 27-29 May 2015, in Prague, Czech Republic.
- For more information:
- Per Kjaersgaard-Andersen, MD, is Chief Medical Editor of Orthopaedics Today Europe. He can be reached at Orthopaedics Today Europe, 6900 Grove Road, Thorofare, NJ 08086, USA; email: orthopaedics@healio.com.
Disclosure: Kjaersgaard-Andersen has no relevant financial disclosures.