Residents have the opportunity to participate in research projects during their residency tenure. Guided by attending faculty mentors, residents identify an orthopaedic issue or unresolved question to explore, thoroughly review the current literature on the selected topic, and hypothesize a solution for the problem of interest. With the assistance of orthopaedic research staff, residents then develop a method to test their hypothesis, select validated outcome measures to use in the study, and determine which statistical methods are appropriate for their project.

The research proposal is formalized by the resident in a detailed protocol which must be reviewed and approved by the Orthopaedic Research & Publications Committee before the study commences. Clinical studies must be authorized by an Institutional Review Board governing human use protocols and basic science projects involving animals must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

By designing and executing their own research study, residents learn how to apply the scientific method to a real-life problem and to determine a solution to the question under study. By virtue of this research experience, residents also develop better appreciation for quality research studies and become more adept at reading the orthopaedic literature with a discerning eye.

Original Research Project

Each resident is required to perform at least one research project during his or her residency. The project should be original and of their own design. To graduate from the orthopaedic residency program, each resident must complete the research project and prepare a written manuscript in publishable form documenting the study results. Residents are also required to present their research work at selected orthopaedic conferences and in other forums prior to completing residency.

Quality Improvement Project

Quality Improvement (QI) is a crucial component of any health care system. Residents, as members of the Wichita health care system, are required to participate in a group QI project of their choosing. These longitudinal projects are designed to have a positive impact on local orthopaedic health care delivery. Dedicated group meeting times for these QI initiatives are programmed into the resident conference schedule.

Other Scholarly Activity

Residents are encouraged to collaborate with orthopaedic faculty on other scholarly activities including preparation of review articles and unusual case reports worthy of publication.

Resources

The Department of Orthopaedics has a dedicated research staff to assist residents throughout the research process from the experimental design concept, through the protocol approval process, and ultimately to manuscript preparation and submission for publication.

• Our affiliation with the KU School of Medicine-Wichita's Office of Research provides for further resources and collaboration with other specialties.