Global practice guidelines in rheumatology: a cross-sectional altmetric and citation analysis

Clinical practice guidelines are instrumental for managing rheumatic diseases, which are often chronic, multifaceted, and require evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This study assessed the societal and academic implications of global rheumatology practice guidelines. A cross-sectional altmetric and citation analysis was conducted to assess the implications of rheumatology practice guidelines. Practice guidelines published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases and Arthritis & Rheumatology (2000-2024) were retrieved through PubMed searches. A total of 127 guidelines were included in this study. On April 9, 2025, the Altmetric Attention Score (AAS), Mendeley bookmarking data, and citation metrics from the Scopus and Dimensions databases were recorded for each document. A significant rise in the volume of published guidelines over time was detected (p < 0.001 for the trend). Guidelines in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases attracted more Scopus citations (median: 320) compared to Arthritis & Rheumatology (median: 145.5; p = 0.046); AAS values did not show a significant difference between the sources (p = 0.168). The analysis demonstrated statistically significant positive correlations between Scopus citation counts and several altmetric indices, including AAS, news outlets, and Facebook mentions, and Mendeley bookmarking counts (all p < 0.001). No correlations recorded for X (Twitter) mentions. This study reveals the implications of global rheumatology practice guidelines in view of their traditional and alternative metrics. To maximize the societal implications, renewed social media strategies are warranted to expand online visibility and academic outreach of global rheumatology practice guidelines.