Summary Statement. The purpose is to evaluate the effects of internet usage on new patient referral patterns to identify optimal patient recruitment and communication. Overall, social networking and internet may be an effective way for surgeons to recruit a wider patient population. Introduction. Prior studies in other medical specialties have shown that social networking and internet usage has become an increasingly important means of patient communication and referral. However, this information is lacking in the orthopaedics literature. In this study, we evaluate the means by which new patients arrive at orthopaedic clinics in a major academic center. The purpose is to evaluate the effects of internet or social media usage on new patient referral patterns to identify avenues to optimise patient recruitment and communication. Patients and Methods. New patients were recruited in a major academic orthopaedic clinic to complete a 15-item questionnaire with demographic information, social media use/networking and referral method. Data was collected for all orthopaedic sub-specialties and analyzed accordingly. Statistical analysis was performed. Results. Of the 752 responses, there were 66% female and 34% male responses. Responses were obtained from hand (142), sports medicine (303), foot and ankle (129), joints/tumor (95) and trauma (83) services. Overall, 51% report using social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Of the patients that report not using social network sites, 92% are over the age of 40. Joints/tumor patients most commonly had seen another orthopaedic surgeon prior to their visit (59%) and had prior surgery (42%). Most patients traveled under 60 miles and were referred by their primary care physicians. Between 18–26% of all patients used a physician review website before consultation. The majority of the patients prefer communicating with their physician via the phone(68%) compared to email(32%). Independent associations found that sports medicine patients tend to be higher social networking users (35.9%) relative to other services (9.8–17.9%) and was statistically higher when compared to the joints/tumor service (P<.0001). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the sports service was generally more likely to have social networking users with the exception of the foot/ankle service), however these differences were not statistically significant. The biggest indicator predicting social media usage in the orthopaedic population was age. The older the patient population, the less likely patients will use social networking sites. Non-doctorate patients were more likely to be social media users compared to doctorate level individuals, but was not statistically significant. Patients that lived from 120 to 180 miles from the hospital were significantly more likely to be social media users, as were patients that did research on their condition prior to their new patient appointment. Discussion and Conclusion. Orthopaedic patients who use social media are more likely to be younger, research their condition prior to their appointment and undergo an average day's travel (120–180 miles) to see a physician. Up to 26% of all patients have seen or used a physician review site prior to their visit. Despite the increased social media usage, most orthopaedic patients still prefer telephone communication with their physicians. Overall, social networking and internet may be an effective way for surgeons to recruit a wider patient population. In an increasingly competitive market, surgeons with younger patient populations (Sports Medicine) will need to utilise social networking and the internet to capture new patient referrals

Abstract. Objectives. Osteoporotic fractures tend to be more challenging than fractures in healthy bone and the efficacy of metal screw fixation decreases with decreasing bone mineral density making it more difficult for such screws to gain purchase. This leads to increased complication rates such as malunion, non-union and implant failure (1). Bioresorbable polymer devices have seen clinical success in fracture fixation and are a promising alternative for metallic devices but are rarely used in the osteoporotic population. To address this, we are developing a system that may allow osteoporotic patients to avail of bioresorbable devices (2) but it is important to establish if patients have any reservations about having a plastic resorbable device instead of a metal one. Therefore the aim of this study was to explore the acceptability of bioresorbable fracture fixation devices to people with osteoporosis. Methods. A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted in a UK wide population using convenience sampling. An online survey comprising nine survey questions and nine demographic questions was developed in Microsoft Teams and tested for face validity in a small pilot study (n=6). Following amendments and ethical approval, the survey was distributed by the Royal Osteoporosis Society on their website and social media platforms. People were invited to take part if they lived in the UK, were over 18 years old and had been diagnosed with osteoporosis. The survey was open for three weeks in May 2023. Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results. There were 112 responses. Eight participants had not been diagnosed with osteoporosis and therefore did not meet the study criteria. Of the remaining 104, 102 were female and 2 were male and 102 were white (2 chose not to disclose their ethnicity). The majority of participants were aged 55–64 (34.6%) or 65–74 (37.5%), were college/university educated (38.5%) and had previously sustained a fragility fracture (52.9%). Only 3.9% of participants had heard of bioresorbable fracture fixation devices compared to 62.5% for metal devices. Most people were unsure if they would trust one type of device over the other (58.7%) and would ask for more information if their surgeon were to suggest using a bioresorbable device to fix their fracture (61.5%). The most commonly reported concerns were about device safety and efficacy: toxicity of the degradation products and the device breaking down too early before the fracture had healed. Two participants cited environmental concerns about increased use of plastics as a reason they would decline such a device. Conclusions. As expected, participants had little to no knowledge of bioresorbable polymer fixation devices. In general, they were willing to be guided by their surgeon but would require supporting information on the safety and efficacy of their long-term use. The results of this study show that it will be important to have relevant and understandable information to give patients when recommending these devices as treatments to ensure and support a shared-decision approach to patient care. Declaration of Interest. (b) declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported:I declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project

Being able to communicate what your research entails quickly and effectively will ensure that you get the most important points across in a limited amount of time. Workshop attendees will develop a concise, compelling introduction to their research that can be communicated in a short message. This skill is beneficial in multiple scenarios, particularly when introducing yourself in an interview or a networking event. Additionally, this will help develop more effective ways of communicating through social media, press releases and conversations with people who do not have a scientific background