ArticleSICOT-J2019
Orthopaedic research in low-income countries: A bibliometric analysis of the current literature.
Article in SICOT-J, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Global academic productivity in emergency medicine and research output by countries of different income levels.Clinical and experimental emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Musculoskeletal injury research in sub-Saharan Africa : a ten-year bibliometric analysis of research outputs from Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania.Bone & joint open · 2026Article
- Article
- Understanding Orthopedic Knowledge Through Bibliometrics: Promises, Pitfalls, and Practical Applications.The archives of bone and joint surgery · 2026Article
- Predictors of complications after intramedullary nailing for lower extremity fractures in low-resource settings: a 10-year experience with the SIGN nail in Nigeria.Patient safety in surgery · 2025Article
- Global trend of publications in orthopaedics and sports medicine: 1996 - 2021.Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi · 2024Review
- Global Health Inequities in Orthopaedic Care: Perspectives Beyond the US.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2024Review
- The economic costs of orthopaedic services: a health system cost analysis of tertiary hospitals in a low-income country.Health economics review · 2024Article
- Peer-reviewed publications in orthopaedic surgery from lower income countries: A comparative analysis.SICOT-J · 2024Article
- Establishing a consensus on research priorities in orthopaedic trauma within South Africa.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Low- and Middle-Income Country Authorship in the Global Orthopaedic Literature.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2023Article
- Population characteristics, outcomes, and centerwide insights of the Zimbabwe national experience with the SIGN intramedullary nail (2013-2020).International orthopaedics · 2022Article
- Barriers and facilitators to the conduct of critical care research in low and lower-middle income countries: A scoping review.PloS one · 2022Article
- Measuring post-discharge socioeconomic and quality of life outcomes in trauma patients: a scoping review.Journal of patient-reported outcomes · 2021Article
- Bibliometric analysis of research on the effects of human immunodeficiency virus in orthopaedic and trauma surgery.World journal of orthopedics · 2021Article
- Authorship Patterns in the Orthopaedic Journals of Low-Income and Lower-Middle-Income Countries.JB & JS open accessArticle
- Do Open Fracture Classification Systems Predict Functional Outcomes in a Low-Income Country?: A Prospective Study of 287 People with Open Tibia Fractures in Malawi.JB & JS open accessArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTo perform a bibliometric analysis and quantify the amount of orthopaedic and trauma literature published from low-income countries (LICs). METHODS AND
methodsThe Web of Science database was utilised to identify all indexed orthopaedic journals. All articles published in the 76 orthopaedics journals over the last 10 years were reviewed, to determine their geographic origin.
resultsA total of 131 454 articles were published across 76 orthopaedic journals over the last 10 years. Of these, 132 (0.1%) were published from LICs and 3515 (2.7%) were published from lower middle-income countries (LMICs); 85.7% (n = 112 716) of published orthopaedic research was undertaken in a high-income setting. The majority of the studies (n = 90, 74.4%) presented level IV evidence. Only 7.4% (n = 9) were high-quality evidence (level I or II). Additionally, the majority of research (74 articles, 56%) was published in partnership with high-income countries (HICs).
conclusionsThere is a stark mismatch between the publication of scientific reports on orthopaedic research and the geographical areas of greatest clinical need. We believe there is an urgent need for orthopaedic research to be carried out in low-income settings to guide treatment and improve outcomes, rather than assuming that evidence from high-income settings will translate into this environment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.