Clinical orthopaedics and related research
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jul 2020
Chair Versus Chairman: Does Orthopaedics Use the Gendered Term More Than Other Specialties?
Orthopaedics is the least gender-diverse medical specialty. Research suggests that the use of gendered language can contribute to workforce disparity and that gender-neutral language supports the inclusion and advancement of women, but the degree to which gender-neutral language is used by academic departments in what typically is a department's highest position (department chair) has not been characterized. ⋯ Our current efforts to increase the number of women in orthopaedics may be undermined by gendered language, which can create and reinforce gendered culture in the field. Electing to use gender-neutral leadership titles, while a relatively small step in the pursuit of a more gender-equal environment, presents an immediate and no-cost way to support a more inclusive culture and counteract unconscious gender bias. Future studies should explore the individual attitudes of chairs regarding the use of gendered titles and identify additional ways in which biases may manifest; for example, the use of gendered language in interpersonal communications and the presence of unconscious bias in leadership evaluations. Continued efforts to understand implicit bias in orthopaedics can guide actionable strategies for counteracting gendered stereotypes of the specialty, in turn aiding initiatives to recruit and promote women in the field.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jul 2020
Does the Proportion of Women in Orthopaedic Leadership Roles Reflect the Gender Composition of Specialty Societies?
Increasing the number of women in surgical subspecialties has been challenging, especially in orthopaedics, in which the percentage of women has remained relatively the same for the past several decades. Certain subspecialties, such as pediatric orthopaedics, have a greater proportion of women than other orthopaedic subspecialties do. Women in leadership roles in a specialty society (for example, on the board of directors) may serve as role models and help attract women to our specialty, leading to increased diversity. As the proportion of women in a specialty society increases, the leadership (board of directors) of the society might reflect the gender composition of that society's membership. It is not known whether gender diversity in orthopaedic societies is reflected in their leadership. QUESTION/PURPOSES: (1) Does the percentage of women members in a specialty society correlate with the percentage of women on its board of directors? (2) Does having a junior position on an orthopaedics subspecialty society's board of directors correlate with an increased percentage of women on its board of directors? ⋯ Level III, prognostic study.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jul 2020
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational StudyWidespread Pain Is Associated with Increased Risk of No Clinical Improvement After TKA in Women.
When conservative treatments do not work, TKA may be the best option for patients with knee osteoarthritis, although a relatively large proportion of individuals do not have clinically important improvement after TKA. Evidence also suggests that women are less likely to benefit from TKA than men, but the reasons are unclear. Widespread pain disproportionately affects women and has been associated with worse outcomes after joint arthroplasty, yet it is unknown if the effect of widespread pain on TKA outcomes differs by patient gender. ⋯ Level III, therapeutic study.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jul 2020
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational StudyPatterns of Change Over Time in Knee Bone Shape Are Associated with Sex.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is more common in females than in males; however, the biological mechanisms for the difference in sex in patients with knee OA are not well understood. Knee shape is associated with OA and with sex, but the patterns of change in the bone's shape over time and their relation to sex and OA are unknown and may help inform how sex is associated with shape and OA and whether the effect is exerted early or later in life.Questions/purposes (1) Does knee shape segregate stably into different groups of trajectories of change (groups of knees that share similar patterns of changes in bone shape over time)? (2) Do females and males have different trajectories of bone shape changes? (3) Is radiographic OA at baseline associated with trajectories of bone shape changes? ⋯ Level III, prognostic study.
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Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. · Jul 2020
Comparative Study Observational StudyDespite Growing Number of Women Surgeons, Authorship Gender Disparity in Orthopaedic Literature Persists Over 30 Years.
The most recent demographic data reveal that only 6.5% of practicing orthopaedic surgeons are women, and as far as we know, only two women have held chair positions in academic orthopaedic programs in the United States. Furthermore, orthopaedic surgery is the least gender-diverse speciality recognized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The factors that contribute to the lack of gender diversity in orthopaedics remain ill-defined. A lag in publication productivity may be a barrier to career advancement for women orthopaedic surgeons, but this has not been well studied. ⋯ This discrepancy warrants further exploration because a low rate of publication may negatively impact the career advancement of women orthopaedic surgeons and contribute to the overall lack of gender diversity in orthopaedics. We suggest that journals and publishers review their editorial processes to ensure blinding of author names during peer review and editorial decision-making, and to disclose those review processes to authors. We also suggest that institutions encourage women trainees and junior faculty to participate in mentorship programs and specialty societies that promote academic productivity.