Episode Details

Military Medicine & WarDocs present: "A Ready Medical Force Special Collection"

MILMED-D-22-00154: “Ascertaining the Readiness of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons:  A Revision to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Methodology”

EPISODE SUMMARY

Discover the crucial factors for Military Orthopedic Surgeon readiness in our thought-provoking discussion with retired Air Force Colonel and Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon, Dr. Patrick Osborn. Together, we explore the updated revision of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) methodology, examining the KSA project's concerning findings and the process of generating KSA scores to measure readiness in Military Medicine. We also discuss ways to eliminate and realign CPT codes for a more accurate assessment of Military Orthopedic Surgeon readiness.

We dive deeper into the challenges of integrating high-acuity cases from trauma centers into military treatment facilities (MTFs) and how off-duty employment data can be unreliable. Dr. Osborn shares insights on the KSA project's measurement of reps and procedures deemed important and ways to evaluate surgeon competence beyond CPT codes. Our conversation highlights the significance of military medical training, especially in the area of wound debridement, and the roles experience and confidence play in decision-making.

Lastly, we emphasize the need for readiness training for medical personnel and the importance of team experience in developing a Ready Medical Force. Dr. Osborn stresses the necessity for local community buy-in and commitment to supporting an ACS-designated trauma center. Join us in this vital conversation as we uncover the key aspects of improving Military Orthopedic Surgeon readiness and ensuring the competence of our medical forces in times of crisis.

EPISODE CHAPTERS

(0:00:01) - Improving Military Orthopedic Surgeon Readiness

(0:09:04) - Military Facility Readiness & Surgeon Competency

(0:17:33) - Building a Ready Medical Force

(0:24:18) - Future Improvements

EPISODE CHAPTER SUMMARIES

(0:00:01) - Improving Military Orthopedic Surgeon Readiness (9 Minutes)

Col(R) Patrick Osborn, MD discusses his Military Medicine paper: “Ascertaining the Readiness of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons:  A Revision to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Methodology” He discusses why the KSA project's findings were concerning; the process by which KSA scores are generated and used to measure readiness in Military Medicine; and how to decide which CPT codes to eliminate and realign to better measure the readiness of Military Orthopedic Surgeons.

(0:09:04) - Military Facility Readiness & Surgeon Competency (8 Minutes)

We discuss the difficulties of bringing high acuity cases from trauma centers into MTFs and how data can be unreliable regarding off-duty employment and moonlighting. We also look at the KSA project and how it measures the number of reps or procedures deemed important, and how we can measure the competence of surgeons beyond the number of CPT codes generated over a period of time

(0:17:33) - Building a Ready Medical Force (7 Minutes)

Dr. Osborn explains the importance of focused military medical training, particularly in the area of wound debridement after combat injuries. We discussed the need to do simple procedures well and how experien