Diabetic patients can sustain wounds either as a sequelae of their disease process or postoperatively. Wound healing is a complex process that proceeds through phases of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. Diabetes results in several pathological changes that impair almost all of these healing processes. Diabetic wounds are often characterized by excessive inflammation and reduced angiogenesis. Due to these changes, diabetic patients are at a higher risk for postoperative wound healing complications. There is significant evidence in the literature that diabetic patients are at a higher risk for increased wound infections, wound dehiscence, and pathological scarring. Factors such as nutritional status and glycemic control also significantly influence diabetic wound outcomes. There are a variety of treatments available for addressing diabetic wounds.
Background
The Altmetric score (AS) is a novel measure of publication impact that is calculated by the number of mentions across various social media websites. This method may have advantages over traditional bibliometrics in the context of research by medical students.
Objective
This study aimed to determine whether dermatology matriculants who graduated from higher-ranked medical schools published more articles with greater impact (ie, a higher AS) than those from lower-ranked institutions.
Methods
A PubMed search for articles published by dermatology residents who started medical school in 2020 was conducted. Demographic information and Altmetric data were collected, and medical schools were sorted according to US News’ top-25 and non–top-25 categories.
Results
Residents who completed their medical training at a top-25 institution published more papers (mean 4.93, SD 4.18 vs mean 3.11, SD 3.32; P<.001) and accrued a significantly higher total AS (mean 67.9, SD 160 vs mean 22.9, SD 75.9; P<.001) and average AS (mean 13.1, SD 23.7 vs mean 6.71, SD 32.3; P<.001) per article than those who graduated from non–top-25 schools.
Conclusions
Our results indicate that students in top-25 schools may have greater access to research resources and opportunities. With a pass/fail United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam that may increasingly shift focus toward scholarly output from medical students, further discussion on how to create a more equitable dermatology match is essential.
UNSTRUCTURED
Altmetric Score (AS) is a novel measure of publication impact that is calculated through an automated algorithm by the number of mentions on numerous social media websites including Twitter and Facebook. It may be advantageous to traditional bibliometrics in the context of analyzing medical student research, as AS peaks relatively quickly and measures qualitative data. The authors hypothesize that dermatology matriculants who graduated from higher-ranked medical schools published more articles with greater impact (i.e. higher AS) than those from lower-ranked institutions.
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