Academic output of German neurosurgical residents in 35 academic neurosurgery residency programs.

Abstract

The scientific activity of neurosurgeons and neurosurgery residents as measured by bibliometric parameters is of increased interest. While data about academic output for neurosurgeons in the USA, the UK, and Canada have been published, no similar results for German neurosurgical residents exist. Within this study, we aim to evaluate the academic output of German neurosurgery residents in 35 academic residency programs. Data for each resident were collected from the departmental websites, Pubmed, and Scopus. Further analyses evaluated the relationship between publication productivity, sex, and academic degree (Dr. med.). Data from 424 neurosurgery residents were analyzed. A total of 1222 publications were considered. A total of 355 (29%) of the 1222 publications were first-author publications. The average number of publications per resident was 2.9; the average h-index and m-quotient was 1.1 and 0.4, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in academic output and h-index among neurosurgical residents with a doctoral degree compared with residents without such degree (5.3 vs. 1.3, p < 0.0001 and 2.0 vs. 0.5, p < 0.0001). This is the very first study evaluating the academic output of neurosurgical residents in academic neurosurgical departments in Germany.