The growth of scientific publications in 2020: a bibliometric analysis based on the number of publications, keywords, and citations in orthopaedic surgery

International publication activity in orthopaedic surgery over a ten-year interval

PURPOSE

International English language publication activities in orthopaedic surgery comparing the years 2008/09 to 2018/19 were analyzed.

METHODS

20 international journals listed on PubMed were examined. The impact factor (IF) for each journal was determined using the InCites Journal Citation Report.

RESULTS

9,205 publications in 2008/09 and 15,549 in 2018/19 with 21,435 cumulative IF (CIF) in 2008/09 and 50,552 in 2018/19 were registered. Most publications consisted of narrative reviews (42.0%), followed by clinical studies (22.0%), experimental investigations (16.9%), randomized controlled trials (6.0%), and meta-analyses (5.6%). The highest increase in publications was observed for narrative reviews from 33.5% in 2008/09 to 41.1% in 2018/19. The USA had the highest number of publications (2,981 and 4,796), followed by UK (806 and 879) and Germany (606 and 922) in 2008/09 and 2018/19, resp. Per 1 Mio inhabitants, Switzerland (13.6 and 28.4), Sweden (10.9 and 18.1), the Netherlands (9.6 and 15.4), and Denmark (9.0 and 21.8) were the most productive countries in 2008/09 and 2018/19, resp.

CONCLUSIONS

International publishing activity in orthopaedic surgery has increased substantially over the last 10 years. The quality of the published articles has not increased in the same way, as evidenced by the disproportionate rise in narrative reviews. Over the entire period, the US were the leader with respect to number of publications and CIF. In terms of population, however, smaller countries such as Switzerland and Sweden were much more active.

Publication Rates of Poster and Podium Presentations at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meetings 2016 to 2019

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to provide the poster and podium publication rates from the 2016 to 2019 American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) annual meetings and assess the quality of presentations ultimately published during this time.

METHODS

Posters and podiums from 2016 to 2019 were located through the AAHKS e-poster and meeting archives. Titles were queried on Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Presentation title, topic type, number of authors, degrees held by first author, and award status were collected. For each identified full-text publication, journal name, study type, dates of online and print publication, and journal impact factor (JIF) were also obtained.

RESULTS

A total of 1,274 abstracts were presented at the 2016 to 2019 AAHKS annual meetings with an overall publication rate of 67.8% (864 of 1,274). Podiums (4.0 months, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.0 to 4.0) were more likely to be published earlier than posters (7.0 months, 95% CI: 6.0 to 7.0) (P < .001). The median JIF of published abstracts was 3.3 (95% CI: 3.3 to 3.7) with no significant difference in mean JIF of published posters or podiums (3.3 ± 1.0 versus 3.3 ± 1.0, P = .554). The likelihood of publication was significantly higher for podiums (odds ratio [OR]: 3.41, 95% CI: 2.29 to 5.07, P < .001), award-winning presentations (OR: 4.78, 95% CI: 1.69 to 13.55, P = .003), and with more authors (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.16, P = .014).

DISCUSSION

This analysis demonstrates abstracts presented at the AAHKS annual meetings from 2016 to 2019 had an overall publication rate of 67.8%, with podiums (86.4%) 3 times as likely to be published as posters (63.6%). If selected to present at the AAHKS annual meeting, individuals can be confident that their work has a high chance of eventual publication.

Clubfoot and the Ponseti Method: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background

The aim of the present study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of research articles published on clubfoot to provide a quantitative description of the literature and to gather information on the institutions, journals, researchers, and countries publishing on this topic.

Methods

This bibliometric analysis consisted of 2 Web of Science searches. The first identified all articles published prior to April 25, 2022, with "clubfoot" in the title, abstract, or keywords, and the second identified all articles with "Ponseti." Studies were exported in BibTeX format and uploaded into Biblioshiny software in RStudio. Descriptive statistics are reported for variables related to the article, author, and country in which the research was conducted.

Results

A total of 2,177 articles identified using the term "clubfoot" were included. The first article was published in 1902, and there was a 3% annual growth rate. A total of 762 articles identified using the term "Ponseti" were included, with the first published in 1992 and a 13.9% annual growth rate. The Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics accounted for almost one-quarter of all published reports.

Conclusions

The literature on clubfoot has expanded in the past decades, and the percentage of studies concerning the Ponseti method has increased dramatically in the years following adoption in the U.S. and, more recently, globally. While a number of studies involved collaboration between authors in high-income and low- and middle-income countries, further collaboration will be essential to evaluate outcomes and help improve service delivery as adoption of this method increases globally.

Clinical Relevance

This paper explores how the orthopaedic and scientific communities have increasingly contributed to literature on Ponseti casting and clubfoot, and discusses how contributions to the literature are becoming increasingly widespread.

Publication Trends in Research on Mental Health and Mental Illness in Orthopaedic Surgery: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Mental health conditions affect tens of millions of Americans. In recent years, particularly with the advent of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, there has been a burst of interest in mental health and mental illness among orthopaedic surgical patients. The mental health of orthopaedic surgeons themselves has also come into focus, with high reported rates of burnout and depression. The aim of this article was to evaluate trends in publication on mental health and mental illness in orthopaedic surgery.

METHODS

Web of Science and PubMed were queried to conduct a systematic review. Studies that discussed orthopaedic surgery and mental illnesses or mental health topics over 2001 to 2022 were included. Publications were analyzed by article-, author-, and topic-level characteristics.

RESULTS

A total of 416 studies were analyzed after application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Publication volume increased dramatically, demonstrating quadratic growth over 2001 to 2022 (p < 0.001). Eighty-eight percent of studies focused on patients and 10% on surgeons, with studies about patients more likely to focus on mental illness and those about surgeons more likely to focus on mental health (p < 0.001). Twenty percent of publications had a female senior author, and 5 authors collectively accounted for 10% of all publications. Eight journals published more than 10 publications, accounting for 35% of all publications. The most productive subspecialties were arthroplasty (135, 30%), general orthopaedics (87, 21%), and spine (69, 17%). Mental illnesses that were least represented included schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and personality disorders (1% or less of total publications each).

CONCLUSION

This analysis showed a dramatically increasing trend in publications on mental health and mental illness in orthopaedic surgery. A high concentration of publications came from a subset of journals and senior authors, and women were overrepresented as senior authors relative to their representation in the field. The results of this analysis identified gaps in the literature, including underrepresented subspecialties, understudied mental illnesses, and study of orthopaedic surgeon mental health, and thus highlighted areas for future investigation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Analysis of the 50 Most Cited Articles on Achilles Tendon Injury

Background

Achilles tendon injuries represent one of the most common reasons for referral to orthopaedic surgeons.

Purpose

To outline the characteristics, examine trends in publication, and evaluate the correlation between citations and study quality of the 50 most cited articles on Achilles tendon injury.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

After searching the Web of Science for articles published in orthopaedic journals, we identified the 50 most cited articles on Achilles tendon injury and abstracted their characteristics. Risk of bias was assessed using the modified Coleman Methodology Score (mCMS). Multiple bivariate analyses (Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient) were used to evaluate the association among number of citations, citation rate (citations/year), 2020 journal impact factor (JIF), year of publication, level of evidence (LoE), study type (tendon rupture or chronic tendinopathy), sample size, and mCMS.

Results

The top 50 articles were cited 12,194 times. Each article had a mean ± SD 244 ± 88.8 citations (range, 157-657) and a citation rate of 12.6 ± 5.4 per year (range, 3-28). A total of 35 studies (70%) were published between 2000 and 2010. The citation rate of the 16 most recent studies was almost double that of the 16 oldest studies (17.5 vs 9.9; P < .001). Nineteen studies (49%) were classified as having poor quality (mCMS <50 points). The mean JIF of the 9 journals that published the studies was 5.1. The citation rate correlated with the number of citations (r = 0.56; P < .001), publication year (r = 0.60; P < .001), and LoE (r = -0.44; P = .005). The publication year correlated with the LoE (r = -0.40; P = .01). Study quality in terms of mCMS correlated with the JIF (r = 0.35; P = .03) and LoE (r = -0.48; P = .003) but not the citation rate (P = .15).

Conclusion

The mean LoE and the citation rate of the most cited articles on Achilles tendon injury both significantly increased over time. Although the JIF was positively correlated with study quality, almost half of the studies had poor-quality methodology.

Middle East Authors' Contribution to the Journal of Arthroplasty’s Publications in the Past 20 years (2000–2020)

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Potential New Treatments for Knee OA: A Prospective Review of Registered Trials

We aimed to evaluate potential new treatments for knee osteoarthritis (OA). The National Institute of Health ClinicalTrials.gov database was searched for “Osteoarthritis, Knee”. We found 565 ongoing interventional studies with a total planned enrollment of 111,276 subjects. Ongoing studies for knee OA represent a very small fraction of the registered clinical trials, but they are over a quarter of all knee trials and over two thirds of all OA studies. The most researched topic was arthroplasty, with aspects such as implant design changes, cementless fixation, robotic guidance, pain management, and fast track recovery. Intraarticular injections focused on cell therapies with mesenchymal stem cells sourced from adipose tissue, bone marrow, or umbilical cord. We could see the introduction of the first disease modifying drugs with an impact on knee OA, as well as new procedures such as geniculate artery embolization and geniculate nerve ablation.