JBJS is pleased to highlight the orthopaedic residents who help implement the Robert Bucholz Resident Journal Club Grants at their institutions. The grant program promotes career-long skills in evaluating the orthopaedic literature. Click here for more information.
Name: Jui-Yo Hsu
Affiliation: National Taiwan University Hospital
What was the topic of the most “dynamic” journal club meeting you have had so far this year?
In March 2021, we hosted a spine journal club focusing on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). It was our pleasure to have Prof. Andrew J. Schoenfeld, deputy editor of JBJS, join our discussion. His remarkable advice and unique insight inspired in-depth discussion. Our advisor and moderator, Prof. Shu-Hua Yang (楊曙華), chairperson of Taiwan Spine Society, who is also a pioneer in the field of AIS research, also provided great support to our journal club. The paper we presented was “Selecting the ‘Touched Vertebra’ as the Lowest Instrumented Vertebra in Patients with Lenke Type-1 and 2 Curves” (J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2020 Nov 18;102(22):1966-1973.) by Beauchamp, et al. All the faculty and residents were highly involved in the discussion. Due to the high relevance of this topic to clinical decision making in surgical correction of AIS, both Prof. Schoenfeld and Prof. Yang shared their viewpoints and precious clinical and surgical experiences with the audience.
What are the top 3 characteristics of an engaging, enlightening journal club presentation?
First, it’s important to keep the journal club intriguing to the participants. Therefore, choosing a good topic plays a key role. Residents will be more involved if the topic is clinically important, related to a familiar surgery, or connects to their own ongoing research. Second, because knowledge of the topic may vary between senior and junior residents, we assign one of our senior residents to provide background knowledge before the discussion. Reading the article and preparing in advance are required for every participant, and we also encourage everyone to come up with several questions before the journal club. Finally, support and participation from the faculty are crucial to the journal club. They can provide clinical experiences to residents and provoke further discussion. It is even more beneficial if the participants discuss their own cases with both colleagues and instructors.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your journal-club activities?
In Taiwan, fortunately we were able to maintain normal lives and all residents and staff were able to participate in the journal club in person, despite the global pandemic. However, due to a local outbreak in Taiwan in early May 2021, restrictions were imposed on indoor gatherings. We therefore decided to host our journal club online. In fact, residents were more engaged in online journal club. Using the chatroom feature, residents were able to ask question at any time without interrupting the speaker, and supplementary materials could be shared by anyone at any time. I believe online meetings may become mainstream in the post COVID-19 era.
Aside from orthopaedic content, what have you been reading lately?
I have been reading Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool, by Emily Oster. It is a remarkable and useful book for first-time parents. I just welcomed my first child in April 2021, and this book provides practical advice in parenting with enormous medical references. Surprisingly, it was written by an economist. I feel more relieved and confident in parenting my son after reading this book.
How has free access to JBJS Clinical Classroom benefitted you and your journal club?
JBJS Clinical Classroom is very helpful in terms of learning orthopaedic knowledge for both junior and senior residents. Its innovative design makes it very easy and efficient to review previously learned concepts. The content is also very neat but with wide coverage across different specialties, which is also very helpful for orthopaedic board exam preparation.
