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Boyd Cup Tradition Continues in 2009

With the 2009 Annual Meeting taking place this weekend in Kiawahi Island, the SCOA is extremely pleased to continue the traditional Boyd Cup competition.  The competition challenges attendees to review a series of cases and provide insight into the ailments, treatment options, or underlying conditions of what is presented.  This year Dr. Lee Leddy and Dr. Scott  Porter will moderate the Boyd Cup.

For a sample of the competition please click on the following presentation:

Download Boyd Cup Sample

Cultural background can be a barrier in physician/patient relationship.

A column published in the New York Times looks at the issue of culturally competent care. According to the article, studies have shown that adherence to a medication or a treatment regimen is often lower than 50 percent—a figure that can drop further when there are cultural variations between physician and patient. Arthur Kleinman, MD, professor of medical anthropology and psychiatry at Harvard Medical School warns that even the term "cultural competency" can be restrictive in that it suggests that culture is not fluid and is only important for patients. Physicians themselves bring a "culture of biomedicine" that can result in misunderstandings. "What you don’t want," says Dr. Kleinman, "is doctors carrying around plastic cards listing the five things you need to think about when you see, for example, an Asian-American patient. What you want is the ability to inquire, to ask questions."

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Access the AAOS culturally competent care educational resources...

Osteoporosis-related fractures add billions to healthcare costs.

A recent study from the federal Agency for Health Quality and Research (AHRQ) finds that the hospitalization rate for patients admitted with osteoporatic-linked fractures increased by 55 percent between 1996 and 2005. Of the more than 1 million hospitalizations in 2006 that had a diagnosis of osteoporosis, more than one-quarter also involved a fracture. The study also included the following findings:

• Osteoporotic fractures cost hospitals $2.4 billion in 2006.

• Women were 6 times more likely to be hospitalized with an osteoporotic fracture than men.
• Two thirds of patients with an osteoporotic fracture were admitted through the emergency room.
• More than half of the patients were more likely to be released to a nursing home or rehabilitation center, compared to just 16 percent of patients requiring hospitalization for any reason.

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Steep rise in knee replacements projected.

According to a report in the November issue of the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, the number of knee replacements is expected to increase 525 percent by 2030. The following reasons are among those given for the increase:

• People are living longer and, to remain active, want the procedure done sooner rather than later.

• An increasing number of people have advanced arthritis, which could be related to ever-rising rates of obesity.
• The designs of artificial knees have been improved so that they can be adapted to the patient's needs and size.
• Minimally invasive knee replacement allows for smaller incisions and may facilitate faster recovery times.
• Studies show that many people who have total knee replacement achieve significant pain relief, improved mobility, and better overall quality of life.

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