title: The influence of surgeon age on distal radius fracture treatment in the United States: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study attempted to determine the extent to which surgeon age influences treatment patterns for distal radius fractures (DRFs). We hypothesized that younger surgeons perform open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) for DRFs among elderly individuals more frequently than older surgeons, who employ a wider range of treatment modalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified 61,314 Medicare beneficiaries who experienced DRFs and the 12,823 surgeons who performed ORIF, external fixation, pinning, or closed reduction on them during 2007. We examined the effect of surgeon age on DRF treatment pattern, controlling for patient characteristics and other surgeon factors using multinomial logistic regression. We then stratified our analysis by American Society for Surgery of the Hand membership to more closely examine the influence of surgeon specialization on the association between surgeon age and DRF treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surgeons aged 40 years and younger were more likely to perform ORIF and less likely to choose external fixation and percutaneous pinning to treat DRFs, compared with older surgeons. Surgeon specialization mitigated this relationship, and American Society for Surgery of the Hand members were more likely to choose ORIF compared with nonmembers. However, surgeon age remained a significant predictor of treatment choice after controlling for other factors and surgeon specialization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Younger surgeons are more likely to perform ORIF for DRFs among Medicare beneficiaries over 65 years of age. Given the lack of evidence supporting any single treatment option for DRF, understanding the factors that drive dissemination of operative techniques may provide insight into treatment disparities within the Medicare population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic III.
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Jennifer F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Waljee
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shauver
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI. Electronic address: kecchung@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D008875:Middle Aged; D009985:Orthopedics; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States
keywords: Distal radius fractures; open reduction internal fixation; surgeon age