Who, where, what and where to now? A snapshot of publishing patterns in Australian orthopaedic surgery

Abstract

BackgroundDevelopment of core research competency is a principle of orthopaedic surgical training in Australia. This paper aims to provide an objective snapshot of publications by Australian orthopaedic trainees and surgeons, to contribute to the discussion on how to identify and build on research capability in the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA).MethodsBy analysing journals with a journal impact factor >1 from 2009 to 2015, data were gathered to explore scientific journal publications by Australian orthopaedic surgeons and trainees in relation to who are the authors, what they are reporting and where they are publishing.ResultsOne thousand five hundred and thirty‐nine articles were identified with 134 orthopaedic trainees and 519 surgeons as authors. The publication rate for both trainees and surgeons was just over two in five. The majority of studies were of level three or four evidence (Oxford's Centre for Evidence‐Based Medicine guidelines). Only 5% of trainee papers were published without surgeons’ co‐authorship. Eighty‐six percent of papers published by surgeons did not involve a trainee. The rates of trainees publishing with other trainees were low.ConclusionOnly 5% of trainee papers were published without surgeons' co‐authorship, highlighting the importance of surgeon mentorship in developing trainee research capability. The 86% of papers published by surgeons without trainee co‐authorship raises the question of missed mentoring opportunities. Low rates of trainee co‐authorship highlight potential for trainees to work together to support each other's research efforts. There is scope for more studies involving higher levels of evidence. This paper raises discussion points and areas for further exploration in relation to AOA trainee research capability.

Publication rate of abstracts presented at the Australian Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting

“…Furthermore, the research requirements of the orthopaedic Surgical Education and Training (SET) program could be met through presentation alone, leaving little incentive for trainees to publish their research. This is supported by an analysis of Australian orthopaedic research which reported that only 5% of publications authored by a trainee are published without a consultant surgeon as co‐author, and even less involve more than one trainee 38 . This highlights the importance of senior surgeon support for trainees wishing to conduct research during the training program, particularly for first‐author publications.…”

“…This is supported by an analysis of Australian orthopaedic research which reported that only 5% of publications authored by a trainee are published without a consultant surgeon as co‐author, and even less involve more than one trainee. 38 This highlights the importance of senior surgeon support for trainees wishing to conduct research during the training program, particularly for first‐author publications. Senior surgeons should be encouraged to create opportunities for trainees to take the lead on research projects and provide support and resources to encourage presentation and publication of trainee‐led research.…”

Review of research output of Australian and New Zealand colorectal surgeons over the past 20 years

“…While there have been a number of studies looking at the research output of various surgical specialties such as plastic surgery, orthopaedic surgery and surgical oncology, [2][3][4][5][6] no study to date has assessed the research output of a cohort of surgeons as well as individual surgeons. In this study, we quantified the amount and type of research being published by a subset of Australasian (Australia and New Zealand) colorectal surgeons.…”

Review of 20 years of vascular surgery research in Australasia: Defining future directions

“…2 , 3 There have been several high-evidence publications by Australasian vascular surgeons over the past two decades, such as the GALA 4 and COBEST 5 trials, which have had significant impact on clinical practice. There has been some limited data regarding the academic output of other medical cohorts in Australasia, 6–8 including orthopaedic surgery and general practice. 6–8 Internationally, there are also several studies investigating publication trends in plastic surgery, otolaryngology and cardiac surgery among other specialties.…”

“…There has been some limited data regarding the academic output of other medical cohorts in Australasia, [6][7][8] including orthopaedic surgery and general practice. [6][7][8] Internationally, there are also several studies investigating publication trends in plastic surgery, otolaryngology and cardiac surgery among other specialties. [9][10][11] As of yet, no quantitative assessment of research output has been published in the area of vascular surgery.…”