Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
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Comparative Study
Impact of orthopedic trauma consolidation on resident education.
In July 2005, the Saskatoon Health Region, in conjunction with its orthopedic surgeons, consolidated its management of orthopedic emergencies from 3 sites to 1, resulting in trauma patients being directed to the university hospital site (Royal University Hospital; RUH) where orthopedic residents were the first responders. We sought to measure resident workload in the emergency department, operating room and ward before and after consolidation and to measure the perceptions of residents and faculty on the newly established orthopedic trauma service. ⋯ Sudden substantial increases in the volume of patients seen by orthopedic residents may not prompt negative resident responses when the overall gains offset, if not exceed, the perceived losses.
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Meta-analyses may be prone to generating misleading results because of a paucity of experimental studies (especially in surgery); publication bias; and heterogeneity in study design, intervention and the patient population of included studies. When investigating a specific clinical or scientific question on which several relevant meta-analyses may have been published, value judgments must be applied to determine which analysis represents the most robust evidence. These value judgments should be specifically acknowledged. We designed the Veritas plot to explicitly explore important elements of quality and to facilitate decision-making by highlighting specific areas in which meta-analyses are found to be deficient. Furthermore, as a graphic tool, it may be more intuitive than when similar data are presented in a tabular or text format. ⋯ We have presented a practical graphic application for scientists and clinicians to identify and interpret variability in meta-analyses. Although further validation of the Veritas plot is required, it may have the potential to contribute to the implementation of evidence-based practice.