Assessment of the Academic Productivity of Plastic Surgeons in Saudi Arabia Using the h-index

Abstract

Background: Hirsch-index (or h-index ) is a bibliometric measure calculated for researchers based on number of publications and their citations. This study examined the h-index of board-certified plastic surgeons in Saudi Arabia and the different factors that may influence it. Method: In this cross-sectional study, an electronic questionnaire was sent to 156 board-certified plastic surgeons practicing in Saudi Arabia. Using their names, we conducted an online search on Scopus, Semantic scholar, and Google scholar to calculate their h-index . Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the relationship of those factors with the index. Results: A total of 84 surgeons participated in this study, of whom 83.3% were men. Our sample scored a mean index of 1.7 and published a mean of 5 articles. More publications and a higher academic rank predicted a higher h-index , ( β = 0.79, P < 0.001) and ( β = 0.14, P 0.017), respectively. On the other end of the spectrum, the country of residency training ( P 0.33), the year of training completion ( P 0.95), attaining fellowship training ( P 0.95), the number of fellowships ( P 0.20), interest in research ( P 0.74), working in an academic hospital ( P 0.44), or attaining a higher degree ( P 0.61) were not significant independent predictors of the index. Conclusions: More publications and a higher rank predicted increased academic productivity among the plastic surgeons in Saudi Arabia. Despite its limitations, h-index is a useful measure that can be considered in promotions and applications to prestigious plastic surgery centers in adjunct to other factors.

Factors Influencing the Choice of Plastic Surgery as a Specialty in Saudi Arabia

“…Currently, around 16.7% of the board-certified plastic surgeons in KSA are women, and approximately 40% of the plastic surgery residents are women too. 15,30…”

“…Currently, around 16.7% of the board-certified plastic surgeons in KSA are women, and approximately 40% of the plastic surgery residents are women too. 15,30 This study is limited by a few factors. Constructing a self-administered survey may not yield optimal reliability and lead to recall bias.…”

Employment and Career Choice Satisfaction among Saudi Plastic Surgeons: A Cross-sectional, Questionnaire-based Study

“…The overall number of Saudi female surgeons is deficient compared with Saudi male surgeons; this number is also observed in another study conducted among the same population of Saudi plastic surgeons. 41 …”

“…The overall number of Saudi female surgeons is deficient compared with Saudi male surgeons; this number is also observed in another study conducted among the same population of Saudi plastic surgeons. 41 Therefore, we recommend that future studies be conducted once surgical operations and clinical duties have returned to their regular schedules. In addition, we recommend future reports to investigate the reasons for dissatisfaction despite working more hours among female plastic surgeons.…”