One-stop Web portal provides easy access to online orthopaedic information

Finding quality orthopaedic information and education on the Web just got easier. Designed for orthopaedic professionals and the public, the newly launched AAOS Orthoportal is a central repository for the Academy’s substantial online education and publishing content. The OrthoPortal Web site provides access to the following resources:

• Orthopaedic Knowledge Online (OKO)
• Journal of the AAOS (JAAOS)
• online continuing medical education (CME)
• e-Books and e-Media
• self-assessment and self-study tools
• Your Orthopaedic Connection (YOC) and other patient education materials

“The AAOS Web sites include an incredible amount of musculoskeletal information. I know of no other Web site that can match the Academy for the depth and breadth of peer-reviewed content, said OKO Editor-in-Chief William A. Grana, MD, MPH. “The AAOS Vision Statement maintains that the AAOS will be ‘the authoritative source of knowledge and leadership in musculoskeletal health,’ and the OrthoPortal makes that vision a reality. With the OrthoPortal, users will have access to all of that information through one search engine.”

Try it, you’ll like it
Members from the Council on Education, the Publications Committee, the Patient Education Committee, and the editors of JAAOS, OKO, and YOC worked with AAOS staff to develop, review, and refine the OrthoPortal.

“Developing the OrthoPortal has been a real collaborative effort within the Academy and an enormous achievement from a group of dedicated individuals,” Dr. Grana said. “I strongly encourage members to try it out and see what’s available,” he added. “Once you experience the facility of the site and the breadth of information available, you’ll come back again and again.”

The colors, layout, and overall presentation of the OrthoPortal mirror the AAOS brand and help identify the site’s content as Academy sanctioned. Information on tried-and-true approaches as well as cutting-edge material is available, and visitors can customize their searches by topic, subspecialty, specific publication, or other parameters. Some of the portal’s areas will be available through member login only, while other information will be accessible to everyone. Access to certain content, such as CME, a print book, or selected book or journal chapters will only be available through subscription or individual sale.

Another important benefit of the OrthoPortal is that it will help orthopaedic surgeons fulfill requirements for maintenance of certification, said Dr. Grana. The site links to CME activities from OKO, JAAOS, satellite courses, and self-assessment tools. Residency program directors can access information and activities that fulfill Residency Review Committee requirements for professionalism, systems-based practice, cultural diversity, and more.

Patient benefits
Increasingly, patients are searching the Internet for access to medical information. By directing patients to the OrthoPortal, orthopaedic surgeons can help ensure that patients find the most complete, up-to-date information while providing them with a valuable tool for engaging in their own health care.

“As part of the Academy’s OrthoPortal initiative, we’ve been attending patient advisory group meetings held at the AAOS Annual Meeting,” said Dr. Grana. “We’ve learned that patients want access to in-depth orthopaedic information that they can filter themselves. The OrthoPortal allows them to do that.”

Some of the information on the OrthoPortal, such as YOC content, will be free to the public, while access to certain articles may require a subscription fee. Similar to the iTunes concept, visitors will be able to set up accounts to purchase full articles.

Networking into the future
Networking is an excellent way for members to learn from one another through sharing and discussing clinical content. As a result, social/professional networking will be an important component of the OrthoPortal.

“We are working with the Communications Cabinet in this area and hope to add social and professional networking options to the site by the spring of 2011,” Dr. Grana said. “It’s possible that we can provide members and residents the opportunity to post cases in a multimedia format for discussion and input from colleagues, as well as provide a forum to share ideas on practice issues.”

Other future enhancements to the OrthoPortal will include new purchasing options for AAOS products and advanced and refined searching capabilities.

“We’ve met our initial goal of getting the search engine in place so that users can filter their searches from the large repository of data,” explained Dr. Grana. “Down the road, we’re hoping to add information from other journals, and we’re working with other publishers and specialty societies to bring their content through the portal as well.”

To explore all that the AAOS OrthoPortal has to offer, visit www.orthoportal.org

Maureen Leahy is assistant managing editor of AAOS Now. She can be reached at leahy@aaos.org