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2009 Annual Meeting Electronic Media Education Program Application

Deadline July 15, 2008

Video Peer Review Criteria

Videos submitted for peer review must meet certain minimum requirements, as follows:
  • Commercial Support. Attribution for commercial support must be in the form of a video credit rather than advertising. This credit must appear at the beginning of the program.
  • Title. Programs should have a title frame or slate indicating the subject of the program.
  • FDA Devices. The “off-label” use of any pharmaceuticals and/or medical devices must be specifically disclosed in the program (i.e. that the FDA has not approved labeling the device or pharmaceutical for the described purpose) at the time of program development.
  • Copyright Information. Permission for all copyrighted material (drawings, illustrations, video footage) must be obtained with attribution of permissions included in the closing credits.
  • Proprietary/Trade Names. Generic product names must be used rather than proprietary or trade names.
  • Maximum Length. The maximum length of a video program is twenty-five (25) minutes. Videos longer than 25 minutes will NOT be reviewed and will be returned to the author(s).
  • Patient Privacy. Identifying information, including patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, must not appear. This typically happens in pre and post-operative radiographs, and MRIs.
  • Patient Consent: Authors must attest to receiving written from each person appearing in the work.
  • Visualization. The video must show well what it intends to show, most often from the surgeon’s point of view. Wide shots should show context, close-ups should show detail. The surgical field should be well lit. The camera should be steady.

Peer Review Guidelines

Below are some points that members of the Multimedia Education Center Subcommittee considers important when peer reviewing video programs.
  • Motion. Video is a medium of motion: the effectiveness of video declines with still shots, talking heads, slides, and disproportionate use of text graphics.
  • Lighting. The surgical field should be well lit. Be careful not to overexpose the surgical field. The light should be stable.
  • Visualization (again). The viewer should see what the surgeon sees, from the surgeon’s point of view. The camera should be steady.
  • Narration. The narration must be clear and easy to understand.
  • Music. Use music very sparingly if at all. At the opening and at the close music is fine. There should be no music under the narration or under the operating room footage.
  • Indications. Programs may need a presentation of indications for new techniques, but not for commonly accepted conditions.
  • Preoperative and Postoperative Images. Pre and postoperative images are very important to confirm that the patient needs the treatment and to confirm the results achieved.
  • Instrumentation. Much of orthopaedics is now instrument driven. Viewers should be informed of the important features/characteristics of tools.
  • Anatomical Landmarks. It is often helpful to point out surface anatomy.
  • Structures at Risk. Programs should identify structures as risk as the surgeon comes close to them.
  • Orientation. It is often helpful to reorient the viewer after a period of close-ups. This can be done easily with narration.
  • Rationale. Exceptional programs remind the viewer of the intraoperative options and the the reasons behind important decisions.
  • Fluoroscopic Images. Intra-operative images, if any, should be presented, in real time, as the surgeon uses them.
  • Postoperative Care. A brief description of the post operative care is oftent appropriate.
  • Illustrations. Even simple hand drawn sketches can help illustrate important points.