Todd Albert, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director for New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery, recently discussed the future of orthopedics in an interview with Medscape.
Here are the key trends:
1. Patient-reported outcomes are a huge topic of discussion, and gaining additional sophistication to better understand which outcomes measures are best for evaluating each specific disease will help clinicians provide better care.
2. Physicians and researchers are conducting studies based on value to prove which treatments have the best outcomes while using resources efficiently. They are now able to take large datasets and population health data to examine many aspects of disease and treatment.
3. Studies show surgeons who perform a high volume of procedures typically achieve better outcomes. Dr. Albert's studies at the HSS Healthcare Research Institute examine how many procedures surgeons must do to become competent, and whether they should be performing a procedure at all.
4. Physician burnout has been a big topic of discussion; to prevent burnout at HSS, Dr. Albert and his team try to keep physicians happy and create a pleasant environment. He also noted a good culture can lead to better outcomes for patients.
5. Dr. Albert is excited about robotic surgery, particularly in the knee, which may be able to deliver reproducible, guaranteed outcomes. The technology can make a difference in the era of personalized medicine.