Current Literature: An Educational Tool to Study Osteonecrosis for the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination?

The Orthopaedic In-Training Examination (OITE) is used to evaluate the knowledge of residents and focuses on relevant information supported by current scientific literature. The purpose of this study was to assess the relevance of current literature as a study tool for the exam, especially for osteonecrosis-related material. A systematic review was conducted of the OITE and relevant journals to compare the proportion and characterization of questions and published studies related to osteonecrosis and other frequently tested subject areas over a 5-year period (2002 to 2006). This review suggests that the OITE and literature are generally similar in content. However, there may be some differences, especially in subspecialty journals, due to the emphasis of a specific subject area and non-validated procedures which makes them a less preferred resource for OITE preparation.