05.10.2023
INTERVIEW: MATHYS SUMMIT 2023
Professor Andreas Niemeier and Professor Karl Stoffel at the Mathys Summit 2023
Mathys Summit 2023 Hip & Knee Arthroplasty:
‘science and practice closely interlinked’
Many challenges arise when carrying out highly skilled total joint arthroplasty: medical, surgical, economic and political. Take advantage of the international Mathys Summit 2023 on 24 and 25 November in Hamburg to exchange ideas intensively with your colleagues. In an interview, the two scientific directors of the event, Professor Andreas Niemeier from Hamburg (Germany) and Professor Karl Stoffel from Basel (Switzerland), give a teaser of what to expect from the interactive and varied programme.
Professor Andreas Niemeier
Professor Andreas Niemeier has been senior consultant of the orthopaedics and trauma surgery department at the Reinbek Hospital since 2018 and conducts research at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). The specialist in orthopaedics and trauma surgery focuses on endoprosthetics of the hip, knee and shoulder joints
Professor Karl Stoffel
Professor Karl Stoffel has been medical director of the orthopaedics department at Bethesda Hospital since January 2020 and team leader for orthopaedics and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system at the University Hospital of Basel. The specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology of the musculoskeletal system practices the full spectrum of modern conservative therapy as well as joint-preserving hip and pelvic surgery.
Interview
What highlights can participants expect from the Mathys Summit 2023 – Hip & Knee in Hamburg?
Professor Niemeier: What’s special about this summit is the close integration of scientific topics with practical content that we deal with every day in the hospital setting. In addition, we will also discuss overarching questions concerning supply – for example, market access and economic regulation. One of the highlights is the live operations on cadavers, where we can directly discuss practices, methods and techniques using examples.
We deliberately designed the ‘crossfire’ event to be controversial – different expert opinions on current topics such as ‘cement – pros and cons’ will be discussed by colleagues. It’s not about being fundamentally right or wrong. The aim is to provide suggestions for critically questioning your own opinion when making individual decisions. This can help buttress your own viewpoint. The discussions can also provide new ideas and encourage people to modify their own practice, at least for selected cases.
Interested in the Mathys Summit 2023?
Click here for a detailed programme of the event!
What opportunities will attendees have at the event?
Professor Stoffel: Our central aim is for everyone taking part to find out about the latest and specialist topics in the field of hip and knee endoprosthetics on-site. The foundation is both the latest research results and the personal experiences of the speakers. In addition to expert opinions, we also want to provide a few very practical tips and tricks that can be used directly in everyday clinical practice.
It is important to us that the information sharing is not a one-way street. The event’s added value is primarily in being able to exchange with other colleagues. Therefore, there will be the opportunity to take part interactively in case discussions and a live operation on a cadaver. This is designed to provide an opportunity to discuss your own findings with other colleagues.
In my opinion, face-to-face contact is one of the biggest advantages of the event. The on-site meeting is designed specifically to promote individual exchange, build new relationships and maintain existing contacts. A shared morning coffee or dinner contributes to a good atmosphere and strengthens togetherness – this forges networks.
‘First-rate international faculty with selected experts’
How is the faculty put together for this event?
Professor Niemeier: Attendees can look forward to a first-rate international faculty. The speakers are effectively hand-picked and selected experts in their field. It was important to us to bring together a wide range of experiences because this is the only way we can all learn from each other. In addition to the European focus, two American colleagues will also enrich the summit with their perspectives. They will contribute their knowledge from everyday practical life, which can provide completely new approaches for a practical clinical setting. For example, their experiences with implants that were only recently introduced or are soon to be available in Europe are interesting.
Why is it important to offer events like this for doctors?
Professor Stoffel: Due to the pandemic, in the last two to three years online conferences have become the norm – including in orthopaedics. This type of meeting often makes sense: it saves both time and money as well as conserving resources. However, virtual meetings are much less interactive. Therefore, in my opinion, we absolutely need selective, high-quality face-to-face events for personal exchange. The cross-linking of science and practical users opens up completely new perspectives. It offers the opportunity to develop new, innovative ways and proactively initiate changes.
Professor Niemeier: I can’t emphasise it enough: the collegial exchange that this intensive summit offers is completely different to large conferences. All colleagues spend time together throughout the morning, lunch and evening over the two days of the event – this intensity and very high quality stands out. I firmly believe that this event will enrich all those taking part professionally and strengthen personal exchange. Beautiful Hamburg will certainly also make its contribution. My goal is for everyone to say afterwards that the trip was definitely worth it!
‘A wealth of information and intensive exchange’
In terms of medical education, how do you envision the role of virtual reality and other technologies in medical education and training in the future?
Professor Stoffel: The digital transformation of medicine is changing the profession of doctors, especially those working in surgery. Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and robotics are increasingly being used in different clinical contexts. This requires quality accompanying training and further education. I think that the young generation of doctors, especially those in surgery, are growing up in digital reality much more naturally. However, it is important that digital technologies are taken into account much earlier in training and teaching. The rapid technological development through virtual reality shows that the possibilities for digital training are far from exhausted.
Herr Prof. Niemeier, Herr Prof. Stoffel, thank you for this interview!
