Orthopaedia: Democratizing Surgical Knowledge via Semantic Web Technology
An open-access, collaborative repository designed to bridge the "knowledge friction" gap for the global orthopaedic community.
Project results.
Global Pageviews
Cumulative engagement across the Orthopaedic Knowledge Network.
Semantic Wiki
Pioneered the use of semantic technologies for orthopaedic knowledge management.
Project overview.
[Metric/Outcome]: Replaced static textbooks with a living, semantic knowledge base accessed by millions.
[Innovation]: First-of-its-kind application of Semantic Wiki technology (Confluence) to surgical education.
[Scale]: Over 4.3 million pageviews and 2.9 million unique visitors across the collaborative network.
Traditional surgical education was failing to scale due to "knowledge friction." High-quality orthopaedic data was historically locked behind paywalls or buried in static, rapidly outdated textbooks. 6This created a systemic gap between the latest clinical research and the global community of residents and practicing surgeons who needed that information at the point of care.
Project execution.
We moved beyond the "expert-only" model to leverage collective intelligence. By architecting Orthopaedia on a powerful semantic wiki platform, we enabled real-time collaborative publishing. I translated clinical logic into a digital framework that allowed for open peer review and structured data tagging, ensuring that the repository wasn't just a collection of articles, but a searchable, interconnected web of musculoskeletal knowledge. This platform effectively combined the collaborative spirit of Wikipedia with the professional rigor required for surgical training.
Project results.
Orthopaedia fundamentally shifted how surgical knowledge is distributed. The platform received the Atlassian "Edit This" Award for the most innovative use of enterprise wiki technology. By standardizing curriculum content and progress monitoring, we provided a scalable educational resource that now serves as a primary knowledge hub for the global orthopaedic community, from North America to India.
