The Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) has a responsibility to maintain an ongoing knowledge and understanding of the most current issues in arthroscopy and orthopaedics to ensure that physicians and other health care practitioners are providing the highest standards of patient care.  One method of maintaining that standard is through the manuscript peer review process.  The review of manuscripts being considered for publication in the Arthroscopy Journal provides a platform for reviewers to refine their skills in performing critical analysis of the literature.  These reviews increase the quality of the published science by ensuring assessment based on expert perspectives from practice.

 Target Audience

 The target audience is physicians in clinical practice, research, and public health, who are active in orthopaedics, including arthroscopy.

Learning Objectives

Participation in the manuscript peer review process assists the reviewer in his/her ability to:

1) Evaluate how a specific research question or investigational clinical application is formulated and articulated in a manuscript.

2) Evaluate if the research methodology or clinical comparisons of arthroscopy identified and articulated in a manuscript are appropriate.

3) Conduct an appropriate review of the literature related to the manuscript and, when available, a review of the evidence-based clinical data related to the manuscript.

4) Synthesize the review of literature with a thorough evaluation of the manuscript thereby identifying its strengths and areas requiring improvement before acceptance.

Accreditation Statement

 The Arthroscopy Association of North American is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Arthroscopy Association of North America designates this educational activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationship(s)

In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Standards for Commercial SupportSM (SCS 2.3), all planners, teachers, and authors who are in a position to control the content of an education activity are required to disclose to AANA, the accredited provider, all relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if he or she (or spouse/life partner) has a financial relationship in any dollar amount that has occurred during the previous 12 months with a commercial interest whose products and services are discussed in the CME activity content over which the individual has control. A commercial interest is defined as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients

 The ACCME Standards for Commercial SupportSM (SCS 2.3) requires accredited CME providers to resolve all identified potential conflicts of interest with any individual in a position to influence and/or control the content of CME activities prior to the education activity being delivered to learners.

Editor-in-Chief

James H Lubowitz, MD: Submitted on: 04/29/2014

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Board or committee member

Arthrex: Other financial or material support; Research support

Arthrex, Inc: Consultant; IP royalties

Arthroscopy (AANA): Publishing royalties, financial or material support

Arthroscopy Association of North America: Board or committee member

Arthroscopy journal: Editorial or governing board

Breg: Other financial or material support

International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Board or committee member

ISAKOS Newsletter: Editorial or governing board

Ivivi: Stock or stock Options

Ivivi, DJ Orthopaedics: Other financial or material support

Smith and Nephew: Other financial or material support

Stryker: Other financial or material support

Tornier: Other financial or material support

U&I: Other financial or material support

Assistant Editor-in-Chief

CDR (ret) Matthew T Provencher, MD: Submitted on: 04/14/2014

AAOS: Board or committee member

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Board or committee member

American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons: Board or committee member

Arthrex, Inc: Consultant; IP royalties

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board; Publishing royalties, financial or material support

Arthroscopy Association of North America: Board or committee member

Elsevier: Publishing royalties, financial or material support

International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Board or committee member

Joint Restoration Foundation: Consultant

Knee: Editorial or governing board

Orthopedics: Editorial or governing board

San Diego Shoulder Institute: Board or committee member

SLACK Incorporated: Editorial or governing board; Publishing royalties, financial or material support

Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons: Board or committee member

Deputy Editors

Jefferson C Brand Jr, MD: Submitted on: 11/01/2014

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board

Michael Joseph Rossi, MD: Submitted on: 04/14/2014

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Gary G Poehling, MD: Submitted on: 04/14/2014

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board; Publishing royalties, financial or material support

Arthroscopy Association of North America: Board or committee member

International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: Board or committee member

Mako: Consultant; Other financial or material support; Paid presenter or speaker

Associate Editors

Ralph B D'Agostino, PhD: Submitted on: 06/03/2014

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board

Aman Dhawan, MD: Submitted on: 04/11/2014

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine: Board or committee member

Arthroscopy Association of North America: Board or committee member

Arthroscopy, Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine: Editorial or governing board

Biomet: Consultant; Paid presenter or speaker

Smith & Nephew: Consultant; Paid presenter or speaker; Research support

Michael D Feldman, MD: Submitted on: 04/01/2014

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board

Arthroscopy Association of North America: Board or committee member

Vipool K Goradia, MD: Submitted on: 04/16/2014

Arthrex, Inc: Consultant; IP royalties

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board

Arthroscopy Association of North America: Board or committee member Stryker: Other financial or material support

Erik Hohmann, MBBS, FRCS, PhD, MD: Submitted on: 05/31/2014

Arthroscopy: Editorial or governing board

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports: Editorial or governing board

Timothy J Hunt, MD: Submitted on: 12/22/2012

Arthroscopy, Journal of: Editorial or governing board Report:

Juri Kartus, MD: Submitted on: 05/30/2014

Linvatec Sweden: Paid presenter or speaker

Arpad Konyves, FRCS, MD: (n); Submitted on 6/03/2014

J Martin Leland III, MD: (n);Submitted on: 06/13/2014

Managing Editor

Henry P. Hackett (Winston-Salem, NC) (n); Submitted on: 12/19/14

Editorial Associate

Deborah VanNoy (Winston-Salem, NC) (n); Submitted on: 12/19/14

Susan Carlson, M.S.Ed. (Rosemont, IL) (n); Submitted on: 01/23/14

 Independence in CME

 It is the mission of the Arthroscopy Association of North America as a provider accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide independent, fair, balanced, bias free, peer reviewed continuing medical education to its members and any other qualified individuals to improve patient care and health care outcomes.

Content Validation

AANA  educational  activities  are  developed  to  promote improvements  in  health  care  delivery and  not  to promote a specific proprietary interest or commercial interest.  Manuscripts should reflect the latest in scientific methods generally accepted by the medical community at-large, evidence-based and discuss the validity of the evidence upon which they base the opinion(s). This ensures the learner that the recommendations are supported by the evidence and contributes to the management of any potential conflicts of interest.   If the manuscript contains discussion of unlabeled use of a commercial product, this must also be disclosed to the participants. Use of generic names should also be used where possible to contribute to the impartiality.  If trade names are included several names from different companies should also be used.

Evaluation and Outcomes Measurement

AANA employs several methods of evaluation to assess the educational program effectiveness. Evaluations are provided to reviewers to assess the educational content and knowledge attained. Supervising associate editors assure that the review meets the established criteria for an acceptable review.  Evaluations are reviewed by the Needs  Assessment  &  Outcomes Committee  on  a  quarterly  basis  to  determine  the  effectiveness  of  the educational activity and identify any potential bias. 

Medium Used: Online only

Date of Original Release: February 3, 2014, Second release: February 3, 2017

Date of Termination: February 3, 2017, Second Termination: February 3, 2020