June 2002 Bulletin

AAOS patient education Web site growing in use

By Nancy Fehr

In spring 2002, the AAOS Patient Education Web site, Your Orthopaedic Connection (http://orthoinfo. aaos.org), reached multiple notable milestones.

• 4 million hits. In March, Your Orthopaedic Connection (YOC) reached more than 4 million user hits. The Web site reached its previous milestone of 2 million hits in September 2001, meaning YOC has experienced a doubling of user hits in just the past six months.
• Record high use. During April, more than 417,000 people worldwide accessed YOC patient education articles—the largest number of users in any month since the Web site was established two years ago.

New AAOS "Rx for patient education" notepads are helping AAOS members recommend easy-to-read, medically accurate patient education articles on Your Orthopaedic Connection to their patients.

• 5,000 notepads distributed. Since February, AAOS has distributed to members more than 5,000 "Rx for patient education" notepads, including samples sent to each of nearly 1,800 physicians with AAOS OrthoDoc personal physician or group practice Web sites.
• Physicians have 125,000 prescriptions for patient education. Each notepad has 25 "Rx" sheets, meaning more than 125,000 prescriptions for patient education via Your Orthopaedic Connection were distributed to orthopaedic surgeons to use.
• Additional "Rx" notepads requested. Physicians in 37 states and internationally in India and Italy, as well as the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), Mississippi Orthopaedic Society and other specialty organizations have requested additional supplies of "Rx" notepads.

Orthopaedic surgeons are giving the "Rx for patient education" prescription pads to patients, colleagues and referring physicians. And, so far, member response to the "Rx" notepads is overwhelmingly positive. A sample of comments received:

• "We are finding the ‘Rx for patient education’ quite useful. Thank you for this resource."
• "Great idea!! Please keep me updated on education / communication tools—particularly for the joint replacement patient."
• "I picked up some of the notepads in Dallas at the AAOS meeting, and have found them extremely helpful. Patients love them and I have had very positive feedback concerning the patient education Web site."
• "We have just received your sample ‘Rx for patient education’ notepads. Since we are initiating a new marketing plan for uni-compartmental knee components, I think they will make a great addition to our pre-surgery education session, and can be included in the patient package. It is a wonderful way to direct people to our Web site. I look forward to using them in the future."
• "The doctor really likes the ‘Rx for patient education’ notepads. He gives them to patients with little notes."
• "The pads are a great idea. What I do is keep a stamp with our Web site address and stamp a prescription pad. This is even better to stamp."
• "I received the prescription sheets the other day and think they are great. Please mail as many as you can to me if still available. I have four and soon to be six other orthopaedic surgery partners and I believe all of us would like to use them as time goes on."
• "The doctor loves them."
• "I am the Spine Team Coordinator for our facility. Doctor has asked me to request your notepads. He would like to use them with our program."
• "There are nine doctors in our group. They are really excited about the notepads and started giving prescription sheets to our patients."
• "The prescription sheets are absolutely amazing. I would love to have ‘Rx for patient education’ notepads."
• "One of the other doctors showed the ‘Rx for patient education’ notepad to him, and now Doctor wants some, too."
• "I like the notepads!!! I have used them for primary care MDs as well."
• "Great idea! Before now, Doctor was giving out regular Rx sheets and writing AAOS.org on them. This is better."