The Utility of the Standardized Letter of Recommendation for Orthopedic Surgery Residency Applicants: A Systematic Review.

Despite widespread adoption for evaluating residency candidates, few studies have evaluated the orthopedic standardized letter of recommendation (SLOR). A systematic review using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was performed in June 2022. Study design and results from SLOR investigations were compiled. Common outcomes studied were summative rank statement scores and SLOR individual domains. Applicants were rated ranked to match or in the top one-third of rank lists in non-normally distributed frequencies. The association of summative rank statement score with match outcome was rarely studied. Applicants' ratings skew positively, the utility is reportedly limited, and influence on match outcome has been inadequately studied. [ Orthopedics . 2024;47(1):e1-e5.].