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Surgeon In Brief With James Bidwell Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, NHS Grampian OPN: What made you choose Orthopaedics? JB: I came fairly late to Orthopaedics, having considered other specialities as diverse as Cardiothoracic and Plastic surgery along the way. The choice seemed obvious at that time, and I have had no cause to regret my decision. Orthopaedic Surgery is , for me , the perfect blend of surgical science and art.OPN: Where did you train? JB: My medical school was The London Hospital Medical College. After basic surgical training in North Tyneside, The London Hospital, Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, and a formative period as a senior SHO at Queen Mary’s, Roehampton, I joined the West of Scotland rotation in Glasgow for my specialist training. I undertook Fellowship training in Edinburgh before my consultant appointment.OPN: What are your specialist areas? JB: Knee surgery and lower limb arthroplasty.OPN: What are the best and worst aspects of your job? JB: The best aspect is a happy patient after successful surgery. The worst aspect is undoubtedly the bewildering vortex of senseless change and maladministration that is the modern NHS.OPN: Are there any developments in orthopaedics that excite you? JB: Much in Orthopaedics excites me. So many new techniques, instrument systems, treatments and implants are becoming available to us. Developments continue at a great pace through the co-operation of clinicians, academics and industry, but the challenge for us all is to ensure that we continue to provide the best treatment for our patients through evidence based practice wherever possible.OPN: What are your thoughts on surgeons who receive financial benefits for using a company’s products? JB: Surgeon’s have worked closely with industry since the beginning, and this has been instrumental in many of the advances that we see today. Whilst it is wrong for a Clinician’s practice to be influenced by personal gain for using a certain implant, for instance, openly declared advisorships or consultancies with industry should be encouraged. We will all continue to need the input of industry into support for teaching, training and research in the future.OPN: Are patients becoming too knowledgeable on joint replacement and the implants that are used? JB: Certainly not! It is their right to get as much information as they feel they need. The difficulty is that the information they get from Doctor Google is often not appropriate. The BOA has some useful information available, and I often advise patients to use the excellent information services available through the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) website.OPN: What aspect of the industry would you change, if you could? JB: The move towards fewer but larger companies is regrettable. I always value the personal and often expert assistance that seems to be available more frequently from smaller specialist companies. |
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