Orthopaedics on the Internet

Orthopaedics and Information Technology also goes back a long way (1)(2) but work specifically on Orthopaedic Surgery and the Internet was first published in 1998 (3)(4). This work and many of the publications since have introduced the Internet as a valid source of orthopaedic information and given guidance about where to find information (5 - 14).

Two developments have limited the usefulness of this approach; the first is the phenomenal increase in the number of medical sites on the Internet (15), so that any printed list is sure to be so short as to be unrepresentative. The second is that addresses on the Internet (Uniform Resource Locator URL) change so often that the tendency for links to become obsolete has been termed "Link Rot"(16). More than 50% of the resources cited in the earlier papers have changed their addresses(17). Only a very few publications have considered the impact of the Internet on orthopaedics as a whole. (18-23) Some of the changes predicted in these earlier works, such as posting of the orthopaedic literature through the Internet, have come about but the broader changes have yet to take place. Persistent prodding in this direction comes from the AAOS Journal (24) Web and Wireless Review feature in each issue(25) and the COA Bulletin Information Technology section(26).

Both the Internet Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma (ISOST)(27)(28) and the Hippocrites Winslow Babbage Foundation (HWBF)(29) are groups of orthopaedic surgeons with an interest in Orthopaedic Informatics. ISOST posts the Orthogate(30) site as a resource for improving orthopaedic care, education and research with Internet technologies. HWBF holds annual meetings and is strongly linked to the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA)(31) and hosts the abstracts of OTA meetings and the OTA mailing list.

1. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2004 Apr;(421):4-9. Application of punched card indexing systems to orthopaedic surgery. 1957. Southwick WO. (Classic Article)
2. Orthop Rev. 1986 Aug;15(8):546-52. A conversation with Enrico S. Mango, MD. Medical informatics in the Orthopaedic specialty. Mango ES.
3. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1998 Oct;80(10):1525-32. Internet resources for orthopaedic surgeons. Golladay GJ, Kirschenbaum IH, Matthews LS, Biermann JS.
4. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2000 Feb;82(2):288-9. Comment on:  J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1998 Oct;80(10):1525-32. Current concepts review. Internet resources for orthopaedic surgeons. Clough JF, Abdelmaksoud MA, Kamstra PE, Parihar M, Sechrest RC, Nelson DL, Sherry E, Van Der Bauwhede J, Eaton C, Heiman M.
5. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1999 Jan;81(1):3-6. Trauma and orthopaedic surgery on the Internet. Oliver CW.
6. [email protected] Information on the Internet. 1999 Feb; 7: 8-9 A Guide to Orthopaedic Information on the Internet. Clough JFM Available at http://www.rsmpress.co.uk/hii/issue7.pdf
7. Ortop Traumatol Rehabil. 1999 Dec 30;1(1):92-4. The orthopedics in the Internet. Jedral T, Bako?Ñ L, Glinkowski W.
8. Drake C. Internet resources about allografts in total joint replacement. AORN J 1999 Oct;70(4):695-8
9. Oliver CW Maximizing the Internet in Your Orthopaedic Practice 2000 [Website] http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/420407
10. Z Orthop Ihre Grenzgeb 2000 Sep-Oct;138(5):413-8 Orthopedics in the world wide web: university homepages of the G-7 states. Butzke I, Kramer KL
11. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2000 Nov;82-A(11):1540-3. UI: 20547228 Orthopaedic information on the Internet.??Nogler M, Wimmer C, Mayr E, Ofner D.
12. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006 May;88(5):1134-40. Orthopaedic information: how to find it fast on the Internet. Biermann JS, Golladay GJ, Clough JF, Schelkun SR, Alexander AH; American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
13. Chir Narzadow Ruchu Ortop Pol. 2007 Mar-Apr;72(2):129-31. Orthopaedics on the Internet [Article in Polish] Latalski M.
14. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2007 Jun; 459:192-4. Web-based resources for orthopaedic oncology information. Biermann JS, Aboulafia AJ.
15. : Saudi Med J. 2000 May;21(5):421-3. Tracing medical information over the Internet. Mutairi SM.
16. Int J Med Inform. 2007 Apr;76(4):269-73. Epub 2006 Feb 7. The life and death of URLs in five biomedical informatics journals. Carnevale RJ, Aronsky D.
17. Bioinformatics. 2004 Mar 22;20(5):668-72. Epub 2004 Jan 22. 404 not found: the stability and persistence of URLs published in MEDLINE. Wren JD.
18. INABIS Conference Proceedings 1996 The Evolution of Orthopaedics on the Internet Clough JFM
19. The Orthogate Manifesto 1996 Sechrest R Archive copy available at http://web.archive.org/web/19990202171248/http://www.orthogate.com/manifest.htm
20. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2000 Oct;82-A(10):1494-5 The emerging impact of the information age on orthopaedic surgery. Introduction. Poss R.
21. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2000 Oct;82-A(10):1499-502 Electronic resources for the orthopaedic surgeon. Mabrey JD
22. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2002 May;84(4):481-5. Orthopaedics, networks and computers. Clough JF, Oliver CW.
23. The Internet for Orthopaedists 2002 Springer Don Johnson & Myles Clough
24. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2007). Available at http://www.jaaos.org
25. Search for Web and Wireless Review on the JAAOS site (2007). Available at http://www.jaaos.org/cgi/search?fulltext="Web and Wireless"
26. COA Resources Library on Orthopaedic Informatics 2008 Available at http://www.coa-aco.org/en/library/orthopaedic_informatics.html
27. Internet Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma (ISOST) 2008 [Webpage] http://www.isost.net/
28. Information about the Internet Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Trauma (ISOST) 2008 [Webpage] http://www.orthogate.org/about-us/isost/
29. HWB Foundation 2008 [Website] Available at http://www.hwbf.org/
30. Orthopedics Orthopedic Surgery - Orthogate - Improving orthopedic care, education and research with Internet technologies 2008 [Website] Available at http://www.orthogate.org/
31. Orthopaedic Trauma Association [Website] Available at http://www.ota.org