Artificial Intelligence Research Receives Similar Online Attention but Increased Citation Rates Compared With Control...

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Artificial Intelligence
• Bibliometrics
• Research Impact

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into medical research.
• Understanding the impact of AI research in orthopaedic surgery is essential.
• Previous studies have not fully compared social media attention and citation rates of AI versus non-AI research in this field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare social media attention and citation rates between AI and non-AI research in orthopaedic surgery literature.
• To assess the bibliometric impact of AI-driven research within the orthopaedic field.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of 540 articles from 6 high-impact orthopaedic journals (Jan 2018-Dec 2023).
• Articles were categorized as AI-related or control (non-AI).
• Primary outcomes: Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) for social media reach and cumulative citation rates, analyzed using multivariate linear regression.

Main Results:

• AI-related articles (20%) showed a higher median AAS (2.0 vs 1.0) and significantly more citations (median 18 vs 9) compared to control articles (P < .001).
• After controlling for covariates, article type was not significantly associated with AAS (P = .602).
• Multivariate analysis revealed AI articles received an average of 13.4 additional citations (P < .001).

Conclusions:

• AI research in orthopaedic surgery demonstrates a greater citation impact compared to non-AI research.
• AI research does not garner significantly higher social media attention when confounding variables are considered.
• Orthopaedic surgeons should engage with AI research due to its growing academic influence and clinical relevance.