ArticleJB & JS open access
Orthopaedic Practice Setting Opinions: Heat Maps for a Hot Topic.
Article in JB & JS open access. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Selecting an orthopaedic surgery practice setting is a career-altering decision, yet guidance is often anecdotal. Despite existing resources, no consolidated data compare surgeon experiences across practice models. This study surveys orthopaedic surgeons across Texas and California, to quantify perceived strengths and weaknesses of academic, private, hospital-employed, and privademic practice environments. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed through professional networks and organizations between May 2024 and May 2025. Respondents identified their current and prior practice settings, subspecialties, and employment ZIP codes. They rated each practice setting in categories including autonomy, salary, ancillary income opportunities, education, research, administrative burden, reputation, community respect, and work-life balance. Responses were aggregated into a heatmap, with subgroup analysis conducted based on employment history and location. Results: A total of 100 orthopaedic surgeons responded 45% academic, 30% private, 16% hospital-employed, and 8% privademic. Subspecialty distribution was balanced. Academic surgeons rated research opportunities, professional reputation, and continued education highly (p < 0.001), and ancillary income was rated poorly (p < 0.001). Private practitioners valued autonomy, salary, and ancillary income (p < 0.001), but rated research opportunities and continued education poorly (p < 0.001). Hospital-employed surgeons had no categories rated highly. Privademic surgeons had favorable views on autonomy, salary, and income opportunities (p < 0.001), and no categories were rated poorly. Regional comparison showed California surgeons perceived lower academic autonomy (p = 0.048) and work-life balance (p = 0.037), along with less favorable views on salary and income (p = 0.007). Conclusions: This survey highlights distinct tradeoffs across orthopaedic practice models and locations. Academic models offer professional and educational benefits but are limited in financial upside, whereas private and privademic settings offer enhanced autonomy and compensation. California surgeons reported less favorable perceptions, especially with compensation, highlighting potential regional influences on employment satisfaction. These findings may inform future decisions in orthopaedic career planning and workforce policy. Level of Evidence: Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.