New Zealand plastic surgeons' life-time contribution to peer-reviewed literature

The New Zealand Medical Association commits the New Zealand doctor to evidence-based medicine, scholarship, teaching, collaboration and communication. To assess this commitment, one measure, contribution to the peer-reviewed literature, was examined for one group of New Zealand doctors: plastic surgeons.

Plastic surgeons with a current practising certificate were identified on the New Zealand medical register (April 2016). Scopus database was searched for publications by each.

Sixty-five surgeons authored 541 unique items in 134 journals, generating 8,047 citations. Between medical graduation and specialty qualification, a mean 1.8 items were published per practitioner (range 0-11). Twenty-three practitioners (35.4%) did not publish during this time. Between specialty qualification and the end of 2015, mean number of items published per surgeon was 7.3 (range 0-97). Thirteen (20.0%) surgeons had not published since specialist qualification. The general trend was for surgeons to become less productive with increasing time in practice. Mean surgeon h-index was 4.4 (range 0-26). Four surgeons (6.2%) had not published at any time.

As a group, but with exceptions and less so in later practice, New Zealand plastic surgeons would seem to demonstrate commitment to evidence-based medicine, scholarship, teaching, collaboration and communication expected of a New Zealand doctor, as evidenced by peer-review publication.