AO In-Hospital brings training directly to your hospital

When you walk into your clinic or the trauma bay, you never know what the day will bring. It might be a young patient with a high-energy pelvic fracture after a car accident, or an elderly patient with a hip fracture after a simple fall at home. What we do know is that the outcomes for these patients depend not only on our decisions as surgeons, but also on the knowledge and coordination of the entire team around.

This constant unpredictability makes trauma surgery both challenging and rewarding. But it is also why structured, accessible education is crucial. Every surgeon, nurse, and technician needs to be prepared for the unexpected. 

Traditional face-to-face educational events can present challenges with time constraints, travel and accommodation costs, and the risk of disrupting clinical duties or family life. These barriers can limit access to continuing education, particularly for early-career practitioners.

This is where I found AO In-Hospital can be a game changer for many hospitals.

A global tradition, brought to the local ward

AO global network has shaped the way many of us think about fracture management and trauma care. Generations of surgeons have grown through AO’s international courses, hands-on workshops, and research-driven guidelines. The AO philosophy has always been about collaboration, standardization, and excellence.

AO In-Hospital builds on this tradition but makes it more accessible. Instead of requiring travel, time away from work, and complex logistics, the program brings structured education directly into the hospital environment. It is designed to complement our daily practice, not to interrupt it. For busy departments, this is an enormous advantage.

Simplicity for faculty, impact for learners

As an AO Faculty member, I appreciate how straightforward it was to set up an AO In-Hospital event. Through the online dashboard, you can choose from a library of ready-made modules, select a date, and organize a session with minimal effort. Everything you need is there: lectures with clear visuals, case discussions designed to spark debate, preparatory reading for participants, and assessment tools to measure outcomes.

This allows us to focus on teaching and learning rather than administration. When I walk into a session, I know the materials have been developed and validated by experts. They can be adapted to the local context, but the backbone is already there. That frees me to engage with participants and draw connections to the actual cases we see every day in our wards and operating rooms.

Topics that reflect real clinical challenges

There is also strength in its choice of topics in the program. The issues are not abstract or obscure; they are the bread and butter of trauma care, and situations that can challenge us the most. Acute compartment syndrome, for example, remains a diagnosis where hesitation can mean disaster. Polytrauma requires not only surgical skill but also teamwork and prioritization under pressure. The decision between limb salvage and amputation is one of the most difficult conversations we have with patients and families.

By discussing these issues in a structured setting, using real cases and evidence-based guidance, we prepare our teams for the moments when quick and confident decisions are needed. And because the discussions happen in our own hospital, the learning feels immediately relevant. Participants leave the room not just with theoretical knowledge, but with strategies they can apply on their next shift.

Learning as a shared experience and a reality check

AO In-Hospital brings different generations of surgeons at different stages of their careers together in a safe setting. These are teams and people who actually work together every day. Residents and

junior colleagues appreciate the chance to walk through difficult cases before facing them in the emergency department at three in the morning. These sessions provide a safe space to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and make mistakes without consequences.

At the same time, more experienced surgeons benefit as well. It is easy in a busy clinical routine to rely on habits and routines that may not always align with current best practice. Engaging in structured discussions, and hearing perspectives from colleagues trained in other systems or countries, can be a refreshing reality check.

Beyond the surgeon: engaging the operating room team

Trauma care is never delivered by surgeons alone. Our outcomes depend on the skills, confidence, and communication of the entire team. That is why the extension of AO In-Hospital to operating room personnel (ORP) and learning together with them is important.

These shorter, interactive sessions, usually lasting a few hours, are tailored for nurses, scrub technicians, and other OR staff. The topics range from the basics of bone healing to the principles of osteosynthesis with plates, screws, and nails. Infection control, implant removal, and even veterinary trauma care are also part of the curriculum.

When OR staff understand not just the “how” but also the “why” behind our procedures, it grows their confidence. Communication improves. Anticipation becomes sharper. At best, the training can be transformative, and ultimately, it is the patients who will benefit. A perfectly reduced fracture is of little value if the workflow around the procedure is chaotic.

Evidence shows global impact of AO In-Hospital 

AO In-Hospital is no longer an idea, it already is a proven model in use. Since its introduction, it has spread to 41 countries, with thousands of participants worldwide, and from AO Trauma to AO Spine. Evaluations consistently show that most learners gain new knowledge they can apply directly in practice. Many confirm that the training validates their existing approach, giving them reassurance that they are on the right track.

Faculty feedback has been equally positive. We value the ease of organizing events and the professional quality of the teaching materials. AO In-Hospital is a tool that strengthens our departments without adding burdensome work. And because the sessions are structured, with pre- and post-assessments, they fit seamlessly into continuing medical education (CME) and continuing professional development (CPD) requirements.

Education at the patient’s side

Perhaps the most important lesson to draw from AO In-Hospital is that education does not have to be separated from our daily patient care. In fact, the closer we bring it to the clinical environment, the more powerful it can become. When we discuss compartment syndrome in a lecture room next to the trauma bay, we know that the very next patient might bring that knowledge into play. When we review the management of open fractures in the morning, there is a good chance we will apply those insights in the afternoon’s operating list.

This immediacy makes the learning stick and turns knowledge into action. It is also a reminder that education is not an abstract pursuit, but a direct pathway to better patient outcomes.

Looking ahead

As AO continues to expand the range of modules covering anatomy, new imaging technologies, instrumentation, and patient pathways, AO In-Hospital will become an even more valuable tool to spread skills and knowledge in a standardized way. Trauma surgery will always be unpredictable. But with structured, practical, and accessible education, we can prepare ourselves and our teams to face that unpredictability with confidence.

AO In-Hospital represents education where it matters most: in the hospital, with our colleagues, by the side of our patients. It combines the global expertise of AO with the local realities of our daily practice. And ultimately, it is a model that can make us better surgeons, better teams, and better providers of care.