Price Transparency and Consumer Perceptions of Generic and Brand-name Implants in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Background: Some have suggested the use of generic surgical implants to curb rising costs of orthopaedic care. However, there is evidence that patients are reluctant to use generic pharmaceuticals as compared to their brand name equivalents for fear of inferior quality. Public perception of the use of generic implants remains unknown.

Liposomal bupivacaine in posterior spine surgery: A piece of the puzzle for postoperative pain.

Background: Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is a local analgesic that may be used at the time of surgery to limit postoperative pain around the surgical site. Its efficacy in decreasing pain, decreasing narcotic consumption, decreasing length of stay, and improving mobility is an area of intense research. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LB use was associated with improved patient-reported pain scores in the first 72 h following posterior spinal surgery, decreased postoperative narcotic need, and decreased length of stay.

General Anxiety Is Associated with Problematic Initial Recovery After Carpal Tunnel Release.

Background: Carpal tunnel release can stop the progression of idiopathic median neuropathy at the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome). Intermittent symptoms tend to resolve after surgery, but loss of sensibility can be permanent. Both pathophysiology (severe neuropathy) and mental health (symptoms of despair or worry) contribute to problematic recovery after carpal tunnel release, but their relative associations are unclear.

Convenience is Key for Patient Engagement with Remote Video Visits in a Musculoskeletal Practice.

Background: Remote video visits (aka telemedicine, virtual care) have the potential to increase access to orthopaedic specialty evaluation while decreasing the overall cost of care. Clinical implementation of remote video visits may benefit from an understanding of potential barriers to participation.

Methods: We enrolled one hundred and thirty participants from a university-based musculoskeletal clinic with a large uninsured population.

Mental-Health Phenotypes and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Upper-Extremity Illness.

Background: Prior studies have suggested that misconceptions (i.e., unhelpful thoughts or cognitive errors resulting from cognitive bias) and distress (symptoms of anxiety or depression) are key factors associated with variation in health, as quantified with use of patient-reported outcome measures.

What factors are associated with perceived disease onset in patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis?

Introduction: Newly symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) is often misinterpreted as new pathology or injury, which is associated with pain intensity and incapability.

Methods: Adult patients with hip and knee OA completed measures of catastrophic thinking, depression, capability, symptom duration, and perceived injury.

Results: Symptom duration was associated with OA grade and symptoms of depression.

Clinician Telemedicine Perceptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Telemedicine utilization increased exponentially due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, most clinicians now have experience with telemedicine. We studied factors independently associated with a clinician desiring to continue telemedicine services after the COVID-19 pandemic.