Arthroplasty and global research output: A bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Medical Research
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Peer-reviewed research is crucial for advancing medical and surgical practices.
• Assessing research output is vital for understanding scientific progress in joint arthroplasty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the primary contributors to joint arthroplasty research based on publication quantity and quality.
• To analyze global trends in arthroplasty research output between 2001 and 2016.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of the Web of Science platform was performed for arthroplasty articles published from 2001 to 2016.
• Article counts and citation data were analyzed to evaluate research quantity and quality by country.
• Data were standardized by country population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

• A total of 43,470 arthroplasty articles were published globally, with a 4.5-fold increase over the study period.
• The United States of America (USA) led in publication volume (35.40%), while Denmark showed the highest average citations per article (8.76).
• After normalization, Switzerland ranked highest per capita, Scotland ranked highest per GDP, and China ranked highest per GDP per capita.

Conclusions:

• Worldwide publications on joint arthroplasty have substantially increased.
• The USA dominates in research volume, whereas Denmark leads in research quality.
• Normalized metrics reveal Switzerland and Scotland as leading contributors relative to population and economic factors.