Eponymous terms in daily practice: a survey among Dutch orthopedic surgeons

Abstract

Introduction: With a survey among Dutch orthopedic surgeons, we try to assess whether eponymous terms are still in use in daily practice. We also tried to find out whether younger generations tend to use them less than our older colleagues.

Materials and methods: In a survey consisting of 57 eponymous terms, 67 participants were asked to mark the eponyms they knew and whether they used them in daily practice.

Results: No correlation was observed in known/used eponyms or years of experience in 58 completed surveys. Respondents who classified themselves as trauma or general orthopedic surgeons knew or used a significantly higher number of eponyms in daily practice than orthopedic surgeons who classified themselves as spine, upper limb, lower limb, sports or pediatric surgeons.

Discussion: Eponymous terms are used frequently in daily practice. Super-specialization might eradicate the general orthopedic surgeon, and the number of eponyms known and used might become smaller and more focused on the super-specialty.

Conclusion: Our survey showed that eponymous terms are still used frequently in daily practice among both young and more senior orthopedic surgeons in The Netherlands.

Keywords: Education; Eponymous terms; National survey.