Factors influencing the research productivity of orthopaedic surgery residents

Introduction: The factors that contribute to resident academic productivity are unknown. The primary goal of this study is to determine if factors such as program reputation, residency geographic region, and resident gender are associated with the research productivity of orthopaedic surgery residents. Methods: Top Doximity-ranking residency programs in 2021–2022 were selected for analysis. Residents were identified using program websites. Resident publications on Scopus and PubMed from July 1 of resident PGY1 year to December 2021 were collected. Demographic data including resident gender, training year, and medical school affiliation were collected. Program geographic location was collected and stratified by state. The number and type of publications, authorship position, and journal impact factor measured research productivity. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to perform statistical analyses. Results: Among 16 of the top 25 Doximity-ranked programs studied, 560 residents were identified, 423 (75.5%) male, and 137 (24.5%) female. The median number of overall publications was 3 per resident. When stratified by class, the median number of publications per resident was 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 for the PGY1 through PGY5 classes, respectively. Male and female residents had a median of 3 total articles, but there was a significant difference between the distribution (p = 0.004). There was a significant difference in the percentage of times published in a top orthopaedic surgery journal between male and female authors (p = 0.027). There was no significant difference in research productivity by region, except for the Northeast, where residents produced significantly more publications (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Factors associated with increased research productivity during residency training include male gender, medical school ranking, and residency program in the Northeast region. Although it might be improving, gender differences still exist within the field of orthopaedics.