Research Productivity and Impact in Foot and Ankle Surgery: Insights From Relative Citation Ratio Analysis of Recent Fellowship Graduates

Introduction: The relative citation ratio (RCR), a novel bibliometric tool supported by the National Institute of Health, provides a standardized approach to evaluate research productivity and impact across different fields. This study aims to evaluate RCR of fellowship-trained foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons to analyze the influence of various surgeon demographics. Methods: Fellow names listed on the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society website were extracted from the year 2008 to 2009 to the year 2022 to 2023. Demographic information for each fellow was collected including sex, degree type, and academic title. The iCite database developed by the National Institute of Health was used to obtain total publications, mean RCR, weighted RCR, and change in RCR after fellowship graduation for each fellow. Univariate and multivariate analysis was conducted to predict these four parameters based on sex, degree type, academic position, and career longevity. Results: Of the 820 fellows, 674 (82%) were male. Most fellows (n = 587, 71%) did not go on to hold academic positions. Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex (beta = 2.32, P < 0.001), holding an academic position (beta = 6.44, P < 0.001), holding a PhD (beta = 22.96, P < 0.001), and a shorter length time since graduation (beta = -0.50, P < 0.001) were independent predictors of number of total publications. Holding a DO degree was an independent predictor of decreased mean RCR (beta = 0.39, P = 0.039). Finally, multivariate analysis revealed that male sex (beta = 4.05, P = 0.003), a career in academics (beta = 4.61, P < 0.001), and a shorter time since graduation (beta = -0.45, P = 0.001) were associated with a larger weighted RCR. Discussion: The findings highlight the importance of addressing gender disparities and promoting research opportunities across different programs. Moreover, academic institutions should provide adequate support and mentorship to early-career foot and ankle-trained orthopaedic surgeons to foster sustained research productivity.