Publication rates of scientific presentations at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons annual meetings from 1996 to 2001

National orthopedic subspecialty meetings are a research forum where volumes of investigations are presented after a peer-reviewed selection process. The objective of this investigation was to determine the publication rate of recent scientific presentations presented at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) annual meetings. From 1996 to 2001, 168 (58%) of 292 podium abstracts presented at meetings were published. The average time to publication was 21.7 +/- 14.7 months. Three major orthopedic journals constituted 89% of the publications. The 58% publication rate for AAHKS ranks as one of the higher rates for orthopedic specialty meetings and validates the selection process for abstracts presented. In addition, AAHKS meetings are an excellent source for a wide array of quality research and scientific information.