[On the proper use of bibliometrics to evaluate physicians and scientists]

Quantitative analysis of publications and their citations, a procedure known as bibliometrics, has become increasingly important in the evaluation of scientists and clinicians. In the clinical setting, bibliometrics is used for the calculation of hospital budgets. While bibliometrics is attractive because it rapidly provides numbers that bear a certain relation to scientific productivity, it is often misused. The parameters chosen are questionable and sometimes worthless because of material errors or inappropriate use. More importantly, reducing the activity of a scientist or physician simply to the number of his or her publications or citations, without analyzing the importance and impact of the work itself can lead to serious errors.