A Quick Guide to the Available COVID-19 Loan Programs

Over the last several weeks and months, AAOS has continuously provided updates and information on the various COVID-19 financial relief programs available to members. Whether it is an extension of an application deadline or the creation of a new program through Congress, AAOS is working hard to bring information about these changes to you as they happen, as these can be time-sensitive and invaluable for your practice.

Graduation 2020: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Daniel K. Guy, MD, FAAOS

Graduation is a rite of passage. High school, college, and professional events occur mostly in the spring, but graduate medical education finds its finish line in the mid-summer month of July. The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a year like no other, and graduation from residency and fellowship training programs has been anything but business as usual. Travel restrictions and social distancing have offered some challenges and have resulted in a few notable changes in graduation activities, but chairs across the country have made the best of the opportunities available.

Surviving Orthopaedic Residency in a Pandemic Via Technology

Claudette Lajam, MD, FAAOS; Jaime L. Bellamy, DO

Technology has made many things possible, including robots delivering groceries, the NFL conducting its draft through virtual meetings, and doctors diagnosing cancer. The United States has been overwhelmed with the coronavirus in every aspect of our lives. Social distancing by staying at home has its benefits, especially to help flatten the curve. However, how has the pandemic affected those in orthopaedic training programs?

NIH Provides Guidance Summary on the Use of Corticosteroids

Injectable and oral corticosteroids are commonly used to reduce inflammation and manage pain in patients with musculoskeletal disease. Concerns regarding the use of injectable and oral corticosteroids in musculoskeletal care come from guidelines for systemic steroid use in patients being treated for active COVID-19 disease, such as those from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Within the guidelines, the NIH provides evidence-based recommendations “against the routine use of systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).” For “mechanically ventilated adults with COVID-19 and ARDS, there are insufficient data to recommend either for or against corticosteroid therapy in the absence of another indication.”

AAOS Position Statement Addresses Access to Care During COVID-19

Christopher Naso, MPH

The first U.S. case of COVID-19 was identified on Jan. 15. As we go through the summer and fall of 2020, the pandemic continues unabated. At the time this article was written, more than 150,000 individuals had died from COVID-19, and the numbers continue to rise in many areas of the country. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Although initial efforts during the pandemic focused on mitigation—and continue to focus on this area—additional efforts are needed to ensure appropriate access to care throughout the entirety of the pandemic and beyond.