With this issue, Bone & Joint 360 celebrates its seventh birthday. I have been at the helm for more than six years, and in that time, with the help of the editorial board, 360 has grown from strength to strength. Now available as a member benefit to orthopaedic surgeons in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and parts of India – in addition to the many other personal subscriptions – it has become a truly global publication. This anniversary provides the perfect opportunity not only to look back over 360’s past and to champion its ongoing success, but also to contemplate its future.
Over the past seven years, the face of orthopaedic surgery has changed greatly. On the one hand, we have seen the advent of virtual fracture clinics, telemedicine, surgeon-reported outcomes, and an array of new implants. On the other, practices have had to adapt in response to bundle payments, funding withdrawal for certain procedures, and two major changes in United States healthcare finance – not to mention the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump. As the healthcare ecosystem has itself changed, 360 has periodically undergone updates in content and layout in order to better serve its readers, and now is no exception.
We are currently preparing for a major refresh of the publication’s design, and we will be undertaking market research exercises with the intention of guiding the development of the content. In line with 360’s aim to present ‘a global view in orthopaedics’, we will be focusing on providing balanced coverage from around the world, and we will be placing a greater emphasis on the 360 website. These changes will help to communicate key messages even more directly to the reader. Although a digest publication will never be a substitute for reading the original articles – and nor is it intended to be – we hope that 360 will continue to be an indispensable tool, for the generalist and specialist orthopaedic surgeon alike, in the never-ending endeavour to stay abreast of the literature.
The ‘round-up’ section, which plays such a central role in this respect, will remain at the core of 360. To date, this section has reported and critiqued 3500 of the most important and practice-changing orthopaedic articles published this decade, all of which have been summarized within a remarkably ambitious three-week turn-around. This enables 360 to be one of the most up-to-date and relevant sources of contemporary orthopaedic research and opinion in the world.
Within the next year, we will see some other exciting changes here at 360. We are looking to expand the editorial board, maintaining the same high standard whilst seeking to increase the number of editors and contributors based outside the United Kingdom. Application details for editorial board positions are currently live on the 360 website. Feature articles, which have always previously been commissioned, will become a combination of commissions and submissions. Details of how to submit features for peer review, or how to submit a proposal for a commissioned article, can again be found on the 360 website. This change will impact the number and type of articles available, whilst maintaining our focus on providing high-quality reviews of current literature ahead of the norm. I would strongly encourage readers to contribute.
It is an exciting time at Bone & Joint 360, and I hope you will enjoy the forthcoming changes in the publication as much as we have enjoyed developing them.
