Publication Rates for Oral Manuscript and Poster Presentations From the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons: 2010 to 2014

Publication rate of abstracts presented at the Australian Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting

BACKGROUND

Presentations at scientific conferences are an important method of research dissemination, with abstracts often used to inform clinical practice. Abstract to publication ratio is a commonly used tool for determining meeting quality. The aim of this study was to determine the publication rate for abstracts presented at the Australian Orthopaedic Association Annual Scientific Meeting (AOA ASM) between 2012 and 2015 inclusive and identify reasons for non-publication.

METHODS

MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to determine whether each abstract presented at AOA ASMs between 2012 and 2015 was associated with a full text publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Where a publication could not be located, the presenter was contacted to confirm the reason for non-publication.

RESULTS

A total of 1130 abstracts were submitted (951 oral and 179 posters), and 573 resulted in full-text peer-reviewed publications (51%). The majority of publications (73%) were published within 2 years of presentation. There was no difference in likelihood of publication for oral presentations compared to posters, nor in the rate of publication across the 4 years of meetings. Common reasons for non-publication were lack of time (32%), publication considered low priority (27%) and journal rejections (22%).

CONCLUSION

The overall publication rate for abstracts presented at the AOA ASM is 51%, which is an increase from the 1998 ASM (31%). This publication rate is higher than many similar Australian meetings and on par with other international orthopaedic and subspecialty meetings. Future research should investigate potential publication bias and methods to minimise barriers to publication.

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Resident-Authored Publications in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery: A Systematic Review

Since its introduction into the medical community, the Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residency has strived to graduate the most advanced and learned foot and ankle surgeons. From increasing length of training, to assuring didactics and education are sufficiently incorporated into the residency, the Council on Podiatric Medical Education has overseen this transition. One area of interest, podiatric medicine and research, remains central to this training and contributes to the field of foot and ankle surgery through journal publications. The purpose of this review was to identify Podiatric Medicine and Surgery resident-authored publication rates, trends, and geographic distribution. All published case reports, original research articles, review articles, and tips, quips, and pearls in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery from January 2009 to December 2018 were reviewed. Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residents comprised 8% of all authors. Residents contributed to and published as first authors in 22% and 11% of all manuscripts, respectively. An increasing trend in resident authors, resident-authored manuscripts, and resident-first-authored manuscripts was observed. From before the mandated 3-year residency to after, the proportion of resident-authored manuscripts to all manuscripts declined from 9.99% to 7.21%; however, among these resident-authored publications, the rate of first-authorship increased from 45.32% to 51.36%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and only study to examine publication rates among foot and ankle surgery residents.

What happens to global health research: analysis of the full-length publication rates of research abstracts presented at two major global health conferences

BACKGROUND

Global health research has been expanding rapidly. The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and Global Health and Innovation Conference (GHIC) are the two major conferences for global health research. It is unclear how much of the presented research goes on to full-length publication.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to determine publication rates and journals of CUGH and GHIC research.

METHODS

A total of 1449 abstracts from CUGH and GHIC from 2014 to 2015 were searched by title, author and keywords using Google Scholar and PubMed. Publications were categorised according to WHO Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) categories.

RESULTS

Research was published in 293 journals at a rate of 34.0%, within an average of 15.1 months. The 15 MEDLINE indexed global health journals accounted for just 5.5% of publications.

DISCUSSION

Despite growth in global health research, publication rates from the two major conferences are low. The majority of publications in journals are not MEDLINE indexed global health journals. Improved publication and consolidation of global health research is critical.

CONCLUSION

Global health conference publication rates are low. Effective dissemination is critical as the field grows. This may require increased publishing support, improved indexing and consolidation of global health research.

Publication Barriers of Oral Abstracts From the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons: 2010-2014

Despite possessing the highest oral abstract publication incidence for any national foot and ankle society conference to date (76.9%), it remains unclear why almost a quarter of the oral abstracts accepted to the annual American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) conference fail to achieve journal publication. The purpose of the present study was to assess the publication barriers of oral abstracts from the ACFAS conference: 2010 to 2014. Unpublished oral abstracts from the temporal period were procured from a database. A questionnaire was then distributed to the primary authors to determine the current status of the abstract, as well as the reasons for the failure to pursue or achieve journal publication. Of the 25 oral abstracts that failed to achieve journal publication before July 1, 2017, a total of 11 questionnaires were completed. At the time of the survey, 4 oral abstracts had since been published in a journal, 1 had been published outside of a journal, and 6 had never been submitted for publication consideration. An insufficient amount of time for manuscript preparation (42%), difficulties with co-authors (30%), and a low perceived priority (17%) were the 3 primary reasons authors cited for the failure to publish. Based on the principal barriers identified, a series of recommendations have been proposed to improve the future publication incidence of oral abstracts from the ACFAS conference and research productivity amongst foot and ankle surgeons.

Factors Associated With the Journal Publication of Oral Abstracts From the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons: 2010 to 2014

The oral abstract publication incidence (76.9%) of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) is currently the highest reported for any national foot and ankle society conference to date. However, factors associated with the conversion of an abstract to a journal publication (JP) remain undetermined. The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors associated with the JP and time to publication for oral abstracts from the ACFAS conference from 2010 to 2014. Databases containing information on the abstracts were procured, and predictor variables were categorized as abstract or author specific. Bivariate analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher's exact test, chi-square test of independence, or Spearman's rank correlation. Multivariable logistic regression and generalized linear regression models were utilized to analyze predictor variables. Oral abstracts by authors without a formal research degree were >12 times (95% confidence interval 2.25 to 71.67) more likely to achieve JP compared to abstracts by authors with a research degree. The author-specific variable was the only significant predictor of future JP (p = .002); however, trends with respect to other variables (funding, prior publications, and ACFAS regional division) were also identified. Abstracts originating from academic institutions (p = .042) and those involving fewer centers (p = .03) were associated with a significantly shorter time to publication. Although the present study broadens our understanding on the publication incidence and time to publication for oral abstracts from the ACFAS from 2010 to 2014, it remains unclear why almost a quarter of the abstracts accepted ultimately failed to achieve JP. Identifying the publication barriers of those abstracts remains a necessary first step in helping to form recommendations aimed at improving the future publication incidence for oral abstracts presented at the ACFAS conference.

Publication Rates for Oral and Poster Abstracts from the American Podiatric Medical Association: 2010-2014

BACKGROUND

The quality of national society conferences is often assessed indirectly by analyzing the journal publication rates for the abstracts presented. Studies have reported rates from 67.5% to 76.7% for oral abstracts and 23.2% to 55.8% for poster abstracts presented at national foot and ankle society conferences. However, no study has evaluated the abstract to journal publication rate for the American Podiatric Medical Association's (APMA's) annual conference.

METHODS

All presented abstracts from the 2010 to 2014 conferences were compiled. PubMed and Google Scholar searches were performed, and the number of abstracts presented, publication rate, mean time to publication, and most common journals of publication were determined. These results were then compared with those for the 2010 to 2014 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons' conferences.

RESULTS

Of 380 abstracts presented, 142 (37.4%) achieved publication, most often in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. The oral abstract publication rate was 45.2% (14 of 31), with a mean time to publication of 24.2 months (range, 0-47 months). The poster publication rate was 36.7% (128 of 349), with a mean time to publication of 16.3 months (range, 0-56 months). Significant differences were identified between the two societies.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall abstract to journal publication rate for the 2010 to 2014 APMA conferences was 37.4%, and, expectedly, oral abstracts achieved publication more often than posters. Moving forward, a concerted effort between competing societies seems necessary to increase research interest, institutional support, and formal mentorship for future generations of foot and ankle specialists.

A Formal Work Hour Analysis of the Resident Foot and Ankle Surgeon

As new documentation requirements by governments and third-party payees increasingly occupy physicians' time, duty hour restrictions have continued to restrict the work hours of residents, leaving programs tasked to produce proficient foot and ankle surgeons (FASs) in less time. The purpose of the present study was to quantify the workday of resident FASs at our institution to identify areas suited for revision to improve efficiency and training. A resident from each postgraduate year (PGY) was recruited and consented for minute-to-minute observation by 4 independent observers over 5 consecutive workdays. The time recorded was placed into a predefined work model consisting of 9 categories (education, research, operating room, patient care, documentation/administration, communications, transit, basic needs, and standby) within 1 of 3 value groups (positive, neutral, or negative). A fifth independent observer reviewed and recorded all collected data. Over 5 consecutive days, ancillary staff frequently disrupted the PGY-1 resident's workflow. The interruptions fragmented the resident's thoughts, increased inefficiency, and resulted in the largest proportion of the resident's time (16.7%) being occupied by documentation/administration duties. For the PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents, unexpected trends in standby were identified during the preoperative period. Secondary analysis revealed that during unexpected preoperative delays, resident efficiency was poor. To maximize efficiency and improve training, residents must increase their awareness of self-inefficiency while minimizing unnecessary interruptions and the time occupied by duties of lesser value. It is our hope that the present study will aid other institutions in facilitating similar improvements to the education and training of our fellow resident FASs.