Learn more about the 18th EFORT Annual Congress in Vienna

Knowing about the EFORT Congress leads to a better educational experience.

Issue: August 2016

Some participants may wonder how the scientific program of the EFORT Annual Congress is developed each year. It involves the review and discussion of about 400 title proposals and 3,500 to 4,000 abstracts by the EFORT Science Committee during the course of three meetings that are focused on assembling a balanced multidisciplinary scientific program for the delegates’ benefit. Our member and partner societies — the national orthopaedic societies within Europe, as well as the main European specialty societies — collaborate in this process via their representatives. This includes 25 selected topic advisors and 400 reviewers who establish the main components of the scientific content under the guidance of the EFORT leadership.

Nine months from now, there will be more than 200 sessions scheduled and organized for the 2017 Congress that involve about 500 international faculty members and the commitment of more than 2,300 experts to exchange knowledge. This volume of work on the part of the experts who collaborate with us is required to deliver all this educational content in six different formats. These formats include invited sessions, three types of abstract-based presentations and several half-day and full-day courses that run in parallel in 15 rooms.

Process

Ultimately, the proportion of session topics in the overall 3-day program closely reflects the number of abstracts submitted within 30 main categories of topics. That process is the best indication that the final program meets the actual interests and broad-ranging educational needs of the orthopaedic and trauma community.

There are three ways to take advantage of the results of all this work and planning.

Choose a session format that focuses on a learning goal.

Complex Case Discussions
In 90 minutes, invited panel members for Complex Case Discussions each present three challenging and interesting cases they have seen during their careers as surgeons. The cases are introduced so that the cases build in complexity from simple to involved, so that with the first case the audience can find a possible treatment based solely on the patient’s history, results of examination and the images and/or radiographs shown. To conclude the case presentations, references that support the solution/treatment chosen are presented so a take-home recommendation can be made.

Debate Fora
A lively debate takes place in this type of session. It involves two invited faculty members who position their preferred treatment/philosophy for a given diagnosis against the opponent’s diverging opinion on the same topic and build their arguments using the literature to support their viewpoint. Debate Fora topics are always selected from among well-known polemical approaches in orthopaedics and trauma. A clear summary of pros and cons for each presenter’s position is also given, which helps the attendees to choose sides. EFORT has already organized, for example, a debate for a session entitled, “Cemented vs. non-cemented stems for the elderly patients.”

Evidence Based Medicine
Three key questions related to the session’s main topic are addressed to the audience during Evidence-Based Medicine sessions and these are answered during an initial round of voting. The invited faculty members analyze the results of the voting based on the literature review grades of recommendation with the ATS Guidelines. The effectiveness of the arguments for and against the treatments discussed are evaluated as strong/weak and the level of scientific evidence is graded as high, moderate, low or very low. At the conclusion of the session, participants have an indication of the quality of the arguments and evidence presented.

Instructional Lectures
This session format is the most popular at our annual Congress. It involves the short, oral summary of the peer-reviewed full manuscripts published in a special issue of the open access journal EFORT Open Reviews, which is the official journal of EFORT. These presentations use state-of-the-art information and outstanding results to cover a key topic related to the scientific evolution of the orthopaedic and traumatology practice. The lectures promote understanding via detailed explanations of particularly difficult concepts and synthesize medical evidence using a variety of data. The aim is to transmit cutting-edge facts that enhance the reading of the corresponding manuscripts.

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Interactive Experts Exchange
Attendees at an Interactive Experts Exchange can perfect their knowledge as confirmed specialists or senior consultants during the interactions these sessions offer. Several essential questions related to a main topic are introduced to the audience that help increase the interest in the subtopics that will be discussed. Speakers bring and present their cases and address the question, “What would you do?” Meanwhile, provocative colleagues in attendance may add to the controversies. This often results in an informal, passionate exchange between experts, who have specific expertise, and the audience. It has been found the audience’s opinions on the topic discussed can vary during the session, so opinions are monitored through voting before and after the presentations.

Symposia
In ancient Greece, a symposium was a forum for men of respected families to debate, discuss or even plot with their peers. This classic concept has been retained at the Congress as a way to bring together recognized experts across Europe to discuss a given topic. Presentations of these popular sessions regularly provide updated statistics and novel research results in a range of key topics for recurrent, as well as atypical orthopaedic procedures. The multinational nature of the exchange also enhances the quality of the data presented and affords a chance for attendees to learn about nontraditional approaches.

Target a session topic linked with your medical strengths.

All of the sessions are associated with one of three main roots: Orthopaedics, Trauma and General Topics. But did you know all the presentations are subcategorized using a three-level topic tree that results in more than 120 topic possibilities?

Sessions can be linked to the procedure described if these are organized in the categories of epidemiology, prevention and diagnosis, conservative treatment or deformity surgery; to the nature of the case if they are categorized under complications, congenital deformities or malignant tumors; but also can be linked to differentiated methods when these are given such subtopics as joint replacement — primary and joint replacement — secondary.

The complete list of categories can be explored at the abstract submission platform where all three levels are active to allow participants to more precisely “tag” on their work. In the final program (print and online), all the sessions are associated with a level-two topic to reduce the complexity of searches and extensive reading. This second level is sufficient enough to structure the program around attendees’ essential needs, which are as follows:

TRAUMA

Spine Trauma
Shoulder & Upper Arm Trauma
Elbow & Forearm Trauma
Hand & Wrist Trauma
Pelvic Trauma
Hip & Femur Trauma
Knee & Lower Leg Trauma
Foot & Ankle Trauma
Polytrauma
Paediatric Trauma
Varia Trauma

ORTHOPAEDICS

Spine
Shoulder & Upper Arm
Elbow & Forearm
Hand & Wrist
Pelvis, Hip & Femur
Knee & Lower Leg
Foot & Ankle
Pediatric Orthopaedics
Musculoskeletal Tumors
Musculoskeletal Infections

GENERAL TOPICS

Basic Science
Biomechanics
Implants, Biomaterials & Registries Study
Systemic Disorders
Methodology
Health Economics
Education
Quality Management
Miscellaneous

Once a few preferred topics are selected, the list of essential sessions to attend can be shortened considerably. This helps maximize an attendee’s time at the Congress and increases the efficiency of learning.

Save the date

Add to your calendar these key dates related to the 18th EFORT Congress, which is scheduled to be held 31 May to 2 June 2017:

Abstracts submission and Congress registration opens: 15 September 2016
Abstracts submission closes: 13 November 2016 | 23:59 CET
Early registration deadline: 27 February 2017
Advanced program goes online: 15 March 2017
Onsite registration rates apply: 3 May 2017

Don’t miss any of these important deadlines if you plan to participate in the 18th EFORT Annual Congress. We look forward to seeing you in May in Vienna for a customized educational experience.

For more information:
www.efort.org/vienna2017