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Translated sessions, limited fees helped bring orthopaedic education to Eastern Europe
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The European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology consists of more than 40 European National Societies, several of which are based in countries in Eastern Europe.
The European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) has a natural duty, and certainly also an interest, in assisting as much as possible in dispensing training, education and assessment for orthopaedics and traumatology in all its member nations. This has traditionally been done through the annual EFORT Congress, courses held throughout the year and many annual symposiums (Fora), which are partly sponsored by EFORT and are held during the member society’s annual meeting.
Orthopaedic surgeons from Eastern Europe have only had minimal participation in most EFORT activities. There are various reasons for that. One of the main reasons could be the language barrier and another reason might be financial.
Therefore, EFORT and the Polish Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology organized a 3-day course, the “Orthopaedic Convention for Eastern Europe,” which was held in Poznan, Poland, 3-5 November 2016. The aim was to deliver education in sessions on main topics within orthopaedics and traumatology for a limited congress fee. Furthermore, simultaneous translation between English and Russian was offered in the hope of attracting a high number of both young and experienced orthopaedic surgeons from Eastern European countries.
The convention was a great success. In all, 520 orthopaedic surgeons from Eastern Europe participated and they mostly represented Belarus, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Romania and Ukraine. Speakers from both Eastern and Western Europe gave lectures during all the sessions and broadly addressed each of the chosen topics. Each session concluded with a discussion period, which showed the format selected for the course was perfect.
With this convention, the Polish Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and EFORT paved the way for further education in Eastern Europe. We hope this successful endeavor will be followed by increased attention to the educational possibilities within Europe and perhaps allow for a second Eastern European Convention to be held in the near future.
- Reference:
- www.ptoitr.pl
- 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 Rd., Thorofare, NJ 08086, USA; email: orthopedics@healio.com.
Disclosure: Kjaersgaard-Andersen reports no relevant financial disclosures.