When Things Go Wrong: The Complications That Changed My Practice

Accreditation Statement: The Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation:  OTA designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABOS credit.

MOC Claim Credit Deadline: 8/25/2030

Learning Objectives:

After completing this activity, learners will be able to:

1. Recognize the cognitive, emotional, and professional impact of adverse events and surgical complications on orthopaedic trauma surgeons throughout their careers.  

2. Apply strategies for effectively communicating complications with patients, families, trainees, and colleagues while fostering transparency, professionalism, and trust.  

3. Integrate lessons learned from real-world complication cases into clinical decision-making, operative planning, and patient management to improve future outcomes.  

4. Develop a structured approach to reflective practice that transforms adverse events into opportunities for continuous learning, resilience, and professional growth.  

5. Identify practical methods to promote a culture of peer support, constructive case review, and psychological safety within orthopaedic trauma practices and training programs.

Faculty:

• Moderator: Raveesh Richard, MD

Original release date: 8/25/2027

Expiration date: 8/25/2030

Estimated time to complete activity: 1 hour

Statement of Need/Description/or Summary of Gap Analysis:

Orthopaedic trauma surgeons are extensively trained to recognize, manage, and prevent complications, yet receive little formal education on the professional and psychological impact of adverse events or how these experiences influence clinical judgment, communication, and long-term practice. As a result, many surgeons navigate complications in isolation, contributing to emotional distress, burnout, and missed opportunities for reflective learning. This educational gap limits the development of effective coping strategies and a culture of open discussion that promotes continuous improvement, resilience, patient safety, and professional growth following challenging clinical outcomes.

Despite the universal experience of surgical complications in orthopaedic trauma, there is limited formal education on reflective practice following adverse events. Current educational programs emphasize complication prevention and technical management but rarely address cognitive processing, emotional recovery, effective communication with patients and colleagues, or translating adverse outcomes into meaningful practice improvement. Surgeons would benefit from structured, experience-based learning that promotes self-reflection, peer discussion, resilience, and evidence-informed strategies for transforming complications into opportunities for lifelong learning, improved clinical judgment, and enhanced patient care.

Method of Participation: There are no fees for members to participate in this activity. Non-members must pay $40. To participate in the activity, physicians will be required to take the following steps:

• Read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures.
• Participate in the activity.
• Complete the activity evaluation.
• Participants who successfully complete the evaluation will receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Disclosures:

The Orthopaedic Trauma Association has implemented a policy to comply with the current Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education requiring mitigation of all conflicts of interest. Faculty declaring a relevant commercial interest must be identified in the activity syllabus and/or program.

In accordance with disclosure policies of OTA and the ACCME, every effort has been made to ensure all CME activities are balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous. These policies include complying with ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education and mitigating all relevant conflicts of interest for all individuals in control of content.  

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated

Disclosures are available on the "Disclosure" tab.

Disclaimer: The information in this educational activity is provided for general medical education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician relative to diagnostic and treatment options of a specific patient's medical condition. The viewpoints expressed in this CME activity are those of the authors/faculty. They do not represent an endorsement by the OTA.  In no event will the OTA be liable for any decision made or action taken in reliance upon the information provided through this CME activity.