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Internet presence may increase accessibility, content for orthopedic fellowship programs
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In an analysis of program information available on orthopedic trauma surgery fellowship websites, results published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery showed the internet is underutilized by orthopedic trauma fellowship programs for fellow recruitment.
To determine the availability of embedded program links or external links for the included programs, M. Kareem Shaath, MD, and colleagues reviewed the online databases of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and San Francisco Match prior to performing a Google search for each program individually by typing in the name of the program plus orthopedic trauma fellowship. Researchers analyzed all identified fellowship websites for accessibility and content and evaluated websites for comprehensiveness in mentioning key components of the orthopedic trauma surgery curriculum.
Overall, 54 OTA-accredited fellowship programs offering 87 positions were identified. Of these, 94% of programs had websites accessible through a Google search. Results showed all 51 websites found described their program. Researchers found hospital affiliation, operative experiences and rotation overview were most commonly listed on the websites while interview dates, selection criteria, on-call requirements and fellow evaluation criteria were least commonly listed. More information on education and recruitment content was provided for programs with two or more fellows, according to results, and greater information on education content was provided by programs with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation status. Researchers noted no differences by region, residency affiliation, medical school affiliation or hospital affiliation otherwise.
To improve the accessibility and quantity of content, Shaath told Healio.com/Orthopedics that information provided on fellowship websites should be standardized among orthopedic trauma fellowship programs “with an emphasis on providing details on the educational and recruitment components.”
“Improvements in the availability of information on fellowship websites may assist applicants interested in applying to orthopedic trauma fellowships,” Shaath said. “Although the findings of this study are limited to orthopedic trauma fellowship websites, identified areas for improvement are likely applicable across all orthopedic subspecialties.” – by Casey Tingle
Disclosures: Shaath reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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