Episode 7: Language Analysis: A Comparison to Traditional Meta-Analysis in Hip and Knee Surgery

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are incredibly important; they drive clinical practice, policy, and reimbursement, but unfortunately, take a team of people and a significant amount of time. In this month’s RAPM Focus, Editor-in-Chief Brian Sites, MD, joins Joshua Myszewski and Kristopher Schroder, MD, to discuss their exploratory study, “Evaluation of language analysis to summarize the literature: a comparison to traditional meta-analysis in primary hip and knee surgery,” first published in December 2021 (https://rapm.bmj.com/content/47/3/151). The study used something known as “sentiment analysis,” a computer-based tool, to evaluate 115 article abstracts from studies that were included in a recent systematic review and meta-analysis on total joint arthroplasty. The idea of the study was to evaluate if a sentiment analysis could come to similar conclusions as a full meta-analysis. Joshua Myszewski is a second-year medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. Since starting medical school, he’s been working on applying his previous engineering research experience to the clinical domain. He has an undergraduate background in engineering, and first began working with machine learning and artificial intelligence as an undergraduate. He has worked on the development of EEG-based brain computer interfaces for disabled patients. Dr. Kristopher Schroeder is vice-chair of faculty development at the University of Wisconsin. Within ASRA Pain Medicine, he has served as the Editor for the ASRA Pain Medicine News from 2018-2021 and was honored to be one of the founding members of the Physician Mentorship and Leadership Development Special Interest Group. He assisted his wife, veterinarian Carrie Schroeder, in performing the first-ever recorded transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on a lynx. *The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice, and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care, or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

Podcast and music produced by Dan Langa. Find us on Twitter @RAPMOnline.