AB124. SOH22ABS011. Intern’s introduction to orthopaedics in University Hospital Limerick—a guide for interns to excel at their job

Background: As most orthopaedic injuries require prompt assessment and intervention, much of the patient care in wards is the responsibility of intern doctors. The autonomy that orthopaedic interns possess in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is a challenging experience that can be stressful for new doctors. Useful information from various sources were compiled into a booklet to act as a guide for future orthopaedic interns to improve work efficiency and patient care in the department and teach important workplace skills.

Methods: The Irish Hip Fracture Standards, up-to-date and evidence-based clinical guidelines, and management algorithms for common conditions, and textbooks relevant to Orthopaedic Surgery and Orthogeriatric medicine were referenced. Allied health professionals were also interviewed about their job scope and patient discharge planning. Intern’s work experience in the department were compiled. Senior colleagues were consulted for their experience in Orthopaedic surgery. The booklet was designed on Canva.com with stock photos free for commercial use obtained from Unsplash.com, Pixabay.com, and Pexels.com.

Results: A 32-page booklet was created with the following headings: “Introduction”, “UHL Orthopaedic team”, “The Intern’s Role”, “Irish Hip Fracture Standards”, “Peri-operative Management”, “Orthogeriatric Service”, “Discharge Planning”, “The Multidisciplinary Team”, “Important Guidelines and Algorithms”, and “Extra Tips”.

Conclusions: The 32-page booklet will be disseminated to current and future interns working in the Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery in UHL. Its impact will be examined with further audit and research. With feedback, it will be updated and adapted for national use.

Keywords: Orthopaedic surgery; discharge planning; patient management; educational; orthogeriatric medicine