Literature Recommended as Study Aids for the Hip Reconstruction Section of the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination

One section of the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) assesses knowledge about hip reconstruction. In the investigation reported here, we examined OITE hip reconstruction questions and sought to identify which literature can be recommended as study aids for this section of the test.

All hip reconstruction questions on the OITE from 2002 to 2006 were characterized according to diagnosis and treatment. Journals cited most often in this section were identified from the OITE key. This content domain was compared with the literature in terms of overall propor­tion of questions/articles related to hip reconstruction and in terms of diagnoses and treatments.

Of the 1375 OITE questions asked over the 5 years, 79 were related to hip reconstruction. More than half of these hip reconstruction questions were related to pri­mary total hip arthroplasty, with complications being the diagnosis tested most often.

The results of this study suggest that residents may benefit from using general orthopedic journals when preparing for the OITE hip reconstruction section. When preparing an educational program, however, one should be aware that clinical journals may not reflect the OITE in terms of proportion of basic science and biomechan­ics articles.