Issue: IeJSME 2022 16(2)

Comparison of altmetrics with conventional bibliometrics in the surgical literature

Authors: Shashank R Thyarala, Gerard T Flaherty.

ABSTRACT

Background: The impact of a research publication has traditionally been quantified by its citation count. Newer bibliometric indices such as Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) and article page views are emerging as supplementary measures to quantify the academic influence of research.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to interrogate the relationship between novel and traditional bibliometric indices for research published in a leading surgical journal and evaluate the role
of these newer indices in measuring the impact of surgical research.

Methods: All articles published in JAMA Surgery between 1 January 2019 and 1 September 2021 were
examined. The literature database PubMed was used to identify all articles published within the specified time period. Cumulative citation count (Web of Science), AAS and article page views were retrieved from the journal website. Statistical analysis using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (r) was performed on Minitab 19.

Results: A total of 1,071 articles were retrieved for further analysis. The correlation (95% CI) between ranks for all articles was 0.635 (0.594-0.673) for AAS and citation scores, 0.680 (0.642-0.714) for citations and article page views, and 0.813 (0.788-0.835) for AAS and article page views.

Conclusions: We demonstrated a strong correlation between citations and AAS for articles published in a leading surgical journal. The inter-year correlation between 2019 and 2021 was similar, suggesting that AAS could be predictive of future citations. AAS may be useful in evaluating the wider societal impact of the surgical literature and could serve to promote greater public engagement in surgical research.

Keywords: Altmetrics; Bibliometrics; Surgical Research; Citations; Social Media; Citations.

Citations: IEJSME 2022 16 (2): 6-8

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.16.2.6

Challenges in the diagnosis and management of post-covid-19 organizing pneumonia: A clinician’s perspective

Authors: Kok Wei Poh, Shobhana Sivandan, Kwee Choy Koh.

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can result in multiple complications such as long COVID syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, and organizing pneumonia (OP). Although OP is a well-known complication of COVID-19, several challenges remain; from suspecting and confirming the diagnosis to its management. These challenges are aggravated further in patients who are critically ill and when surgical biopsy is not feasible. Post-COVID-19 OP is a subset of secondary organizing pneumonia that shares similar clinical and radiological characteristics and similar computerized tomography (CT) scan features with OP of various etiologies. In this review, we propose a clinical approach based on current available evidence for the management of COVID-19 patients with suspected OP. Typical CT findings such as consolidations, perilobular opacity, reversed halo sign and ground-glass opacities are highly suggestive of OP, but are not pathognomonic. Confirmation by histopathology should be done but when not possible, a trial of corticosteroid therapy may be considered. However, biopsy should be done if corticosteroid therapy fails or when there is clinical deterioration and worsening of hypoxia while on corticosteroid therapy especially if the onset of the symptoms is longer than two weeks.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; organizing pneumonia; corticosteroid; computerized tomography scan

Citations: IEJSME 2022 16 (2): 9-27

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.16.2.9

Impact of cardiac life support training on retention of knowledge measured by pretest, immediate posttest, and 6-months posttest

Authors: Thiruselvi Subramaniam, Shahid Hassan, Ann Jee Tan, Siti Ramlah Abdul Rahman, Jun Siang Tay.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Cardiac resuscitation skills are a necessity for newly graduated doctors as they are first responders during a crisis. Despite undergraduate exposure, interns still struggle in an actual crisis. We evaluated final year medical students’ long-term retention of knowledge following cardiac life support
training prior to exit from medical school to determine the need to revise and re-strategize.

Methods: Thirty-seven final year medical students participated in a quasi-experimental research after a cardiac life support (CLS) course where results of their one best answer assessment-pretest, immediate posttest and 6 months posttest were analyzed.

Results: A repeated measure ANOVA was conducted on mean test scores of 30-items one best answer (OBA) questions, measured as pre-test, immediate and 6 months posttests after the course. The result showed significant time effect, Wilks Lambda = 0.126, F (2,35) = 121.468, P = <.001. Follow up comparison indicated that each pairwise comparison difference was significant (p ≤ 0. 05). Both immediate and after 6 months post-course test scores were statistically better than the pretest scores suggesting that there was improvement in knowledge after the course despite the decay.

Conclusion: Our results showed that retention of knowledge as a short-term memory worked well immediately after the hands-on cardiac resuscitation course. However, though there was improved knowledge even after 6 months compared to before the course, there was decay in knowledge. There is a need to re-strategize to improve knowledge retention.

Keywords: Long term retention, knowledge, cardiac resuscitation, strategy, simulation.

Citations: IeJSME 2022 16 (2): 28-35

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.16.2.28