Background The global incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is disproportionately concentrated in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1] and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. In addition to its detrimental effects on health, TBI presents a financial burden to families, healthcare systems, and economies through lost productivity and high healthcare costs [2]. In hospitals across many African countries, family members are the primary caretakers of patients during and after their hospital stays [3, 4]. As of 2011, there is a 42% shortage of nurses within the public health sector in Uganda and a 10% shortage at the largest public hospital in the country, Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH); this has severely affected health delivery services [5]. With the scarcity of health workers, caretakers with little to no training in patient care are entrusted with relatively highlevel tasks. Depending on the diagnosis and severity of illness, caregivers may engage in various care tasks such as wound care, medication and symptom management, transportation, and the provision of emotional support [6]. These tasks are particularly relevant in a neurosurgical ward, where many TBI patients are immobile and unable to speak or comprehend instructions. Caretakers play a significant role in the care and support of patients with chronic illnesses and seek health information to facilitate this role [7]. They are also an essential source of health information for patients and assist in decision-making throughout the care continuum. Three types of health literacy have been defined based on their application in the real world: functional, interactive, and critical [8]. Functional health literacy encompasses the basic skills needed to understand health

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Background:In the United States, women comprise 16% of orthopaedic surgery residents, 4% of fellows, and 6% of practicing orthopaedic surgeons. The underrepresentation of women in surgical subspecialties may be because of lack of early exposure to female mentors. Conference speaker roles are important for visibility. This study aims to evaluate the representation of women in speaker roles and responsibilities at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meetings over time.Methods:The names of speakers and session titles at the annual AAOS meetings were obtained from conference programs for the years 2009, 2014, and 2019. Each speaker was classified based on sex and role. Sessions discussing scientific or surgical topics were classified as technical and those that did not were classified as nontechnical. Descriptive statistics are provided, as well as individual-year odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) examining sex versus technical session status and sex versus speaker role; combined results controlling for year are calculated using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method.Results:Overall, 3,980 speaking sessions were analyzed; 6.8% of speaking sessions were assigned to women. Women were more likely than men to participate in nontechnical speaking roles (OR 3.85; 95% CI, 2.79 to 4.78). Among talks given by women, the percentage that were nontechnical increased (25.5% in 2009, 24.3% in 2014, and 44.1% in 2019). Among moderator roles, the percentage assigned to women increased (4.5% in 2009, 6.0% in 2014, 14.5% in 2019).Discussion:Our findings demonstrate an increase in female speakers at AAOS meetings from 2009 to 2019. The percentage of female moderators and nontechnical sessions given by women increased since 2009. A need for a shift in the distribution of speaker role exists, which promotes inclusivity and prevents professional marginalization. Representation of women as role models increases visibility and may address the leaky pipeline phenomenon and paucity of women in orthopaedics.