Workshop on using Orthopaedic Web Links (OWL)

OWL has several unique features. It is the largest collection of links to sites of interest to orthopaedic surgeons; it offers "straight-to-the-meat" linkage so that very little further navigation is needed; it is collected and maintained by orthopaedic surgeons so it is a true reflection of what orthopaedic surgeons find interesting; and it is the official links collection of the ISOST so has some academic prestige. The long term goal of the site is to provide a resource of such value that it will become the standard way to find orthopaedic information, and authors of orthopaedic webpages will therefore notify OWL of their new and updated postings. This position would allow OWL and its parent academic body ISOST to offer meaningful comment on the quality of orthopaedic information on the Internet.

As of 2001 OWL still uses a webpage format although a matching searchable database is being planned. The present format is easy to use. It avoids the necessity for an exact description of the topic you are searching for and there is often some sites of interest you find by serendipity as you search.

[If you pursue any of the links in this workshop you will need to use the "Back" button of your browser to return to the workshop. For clarity, text and "live" links in this workshop have a light blue background. Illustrations from OWL have a white background and the links do not function]

On the opening page of the site a full list of the types of orthopaedic sites collected is available (this is a partial list)

Orthogate Patient Information Pages

For the majority of Orthopaedic Surgeons the most valuable parts of OWL will be the Orthopaedic Topics, Case Presentations (jump to this section) and the Commercial page (jump to this section)

Orthopaedic Topics

OWL Topics are grouped under the following subheadings

For the purposes of this workshop select AVN of the Hip as a topic to scrutinize on the Internet. If you now click on the link Hip in the table above you will reach the Hip Topics page. Because of its comprehensive coverage of orthopaedic topics Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics is placed first on the page.  You will find a link to his pages on AVN in the hip table of contents, part of which is reproduced below

• Hip (Wheeless Textbook of Orthopaedics)

  Arthrodesis Arthroscopy of the Hip Aspiration Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head Blood Supply to the femoral head and neck;

Hip topics are classified under the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) system. Each link is to the section of the collection dealing with that topic.

Following the Femoral Head Necrosis link you will find the links to Wheeless' treatment of the topic and a number of abtracts from past meeting of AAOS

Considering this very limited topic and the fact that we have collected links from only a small number of sources, it is clear that

• there is an enormous amount of information
• finding it even with search engines and gateway sites is arduous
• classification of the subject to an even finer level of granularity would be an advantage. (See the workshop on OCOSH - the Orthogate Classification of Orthopaedic Subject Headings)

On the plus side the OWL selection of topics is the best overview around. If you read the abstracts from the last two AAOS meetings on the subject and Wheeless' Textbook you will have a good grounding in the subject and an idea of current research issues.

Case Discussion

The OWL Case Discussion Page has a somewhat eclectic collection of sites and pages where individual cases are presented and discussed. The links below are mostly to the front page which gives the index of cases posted. The quality is variable with the Dupont Institute Clinical Case Presentations being outstanding. These are the result of presentations at rounds and are very well prepared. The OWL page has links to the individual cases as well. These cases would be very suitable teaching material for trainees with a critique of the presentation and the management of the case, plus an update of the literature offering a well rounded experience.

The Gorham's Vanishing Bone Disease site is included as it is an attempt to show how presentation of a case can be done, using frames and hyperlinks to make it easy to transfer from text to illustration to references to Medline abstracts.

Commercial Sites

The OWL Commercial Sites page is the most comprehensive collection of orthopaedic supply corporations website addresses on the Internet. This is probably because there is no charge for posting the address. OWL exists as a service to the orthopaedic communityand the editors hold that orthopaedic surgeons value comprehensive coverage of the commercial sites.

A limited number of orthopaedic supply corporations have had their sites reviewed and where possible a list of links to the products of interest to orthopaedic surgeons has been posted. (e.g.)

• Howmedica [Orthopaedic implant manufacturer.] Home Page (Now Stryker/Howmedica/Osteonics)
  • Review and product list

The review takes the position it would be valuable to orthopaedic surgeons to obtain information on the corporation's products, sales information, contact information, information for patients, OR nurses and administrators, information on meetings and items that would attract surgeons to the site. From the corporate point of view one would expect the site to offer investment information, opportunities for employment and a way for someone with an idea to improve the products or services to send it in. Reviews in table form giving an appreciation of how well these areas are covered have been prepared for. These reviews also had direct links to the products. However, in the six months since the reviews were posted the supplier's website have changed and most of the product links are out of date.

• Biomet
• Depuy
• Stryker/Howmedica/Osteonics
• Johnson & Johnson
• Mathys Medical
• Smith & Nephew
• Stratec
• Zimmer

Links are to the review sites. A link to the front page of the site is on the review site and on the OWL commercial page

Many major commercial sites have not been reviewed through lack of time. The AO North America site is not strictly commercial but it has been recently upgraded and has excellent information on the technical aspects of using the AO technique including videos. Synthes does not seem to have a website.

Summary

The Orthopaedic Web Links collection of links to subjects of interest to orthopaedic surgeons is a major resource making it easier to find orthopaedic subjects on the Internet.

Prepared for the Canadian Orthopaedic Association Basic Science Course October 2001
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Webmaster Myles Clough