Are the claims made in orthopaedic print advertisements valid?

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Marketing
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Advertisements in orthopaedic journals frequently make claims presented as clinical and scientific fact.
• Previous assessments of these claims were conducted ten years ago, preceding significant legislative changes and media scrutiny.
• This study aims to re-evaluate the evidence supporting claims in contemporary orthopaedic print advertisements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the evidence supporting claims made in orthopaedic print advertisements.
• To assess whether current claims meet the standards required to influence clinical practice.
• To understand the impact of legislative and media changes on advertising practices in the field.

Main Methods:

• Fifty advertisements were randomly selected from six leading orthopaedic journals published between July and December 2011.
• Three orthopaedic surgeons, blinded to product and company, assessed the evidence supporting each claim.
• Surgeons evaluated if the presented evidence supported the claim and its quality, and if it was sufficient to influence their practice.

Main Results:

• Only 12 out of 50 claims (24%) were supported by high-quality evidence.
• Eleven claims (22%) were considered well-supported by the evidence presented.
• A strong correlation (Spearman r=0.945, p<0.0001) existed between evidence quality and claim support; 28 claims cited literature, 11 cited internal data, and 7 had no evidence.

Conclusions:

• Orthopaedic surgeons should maintain skepticism towards claims made in print advertisements.
• Manufacturers need to provide high-quality evidence to substantiate their product claims.
• Evidence supporting claims must be robust to influence the clinical practice of orthopaedic surgeons.