Publication History and Associated Academic Metrics of Selected Content Speakers at Arthroscopy Association of North America and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports MedicineAnnual Meetings

Abstract

Background Annual meetings held by the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) are important platforms for showcasing relevant sports medicine innovation and research. While meeting planning committees likely consider multiple factors when selecting content speakers, it may be assumed that these speakers are well-published or have an academic reputation on their topic of presentation. Hypothesis/Purpose To assess the peer-reviewed publication history and associated academic metrics of selected content speakers of prominent sports medicine society meetings and to identify content areas that lack speakers with previous peer-reviewed publications on their topic of presentation. Study Design Cross-Sectional Review Methods The 2016-2019 conference programs of AANA and AOSSM annual meetings were screened for selected content speakers. Each selected content speaker was searched in the Scopus database to identify prior peer-reviewed publications that were relevant to their presentation topic. Each selected content speaker, presentation, and content category was analyzed to determine the speakers’ Hirsch index (H-index), number of speakers’ previous topic-specific publications, manuscripts’ weighted citation count (WCC), and number of speakers using means and proportions. Comparisons were performed with two-sample T-tests for continuous variables and two-sample Z-tests for proportions for categorical variables, with p-values less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results Of 432 total lectures, 371 (86%) were given by speakers who were previously published on their topic, leaving only 61 lectures (14%) by speakers without previous topic-specific publication (p=0.0005). Nonoperative sports medicine had the highest proportion (34%, 24/71) of lectures delivered by speakers without prior topic-specific publications. Speakers presenting on the hip had the highest H-index (41.67); speakers presenting on the elbow held the highest average number of prior topic-specific publications (12.17); and speakers presenting on biologics held the highest average WCC (8.56). There were no differences between conferences in regard to the proportion of speakers without previous topic-specific publications, the total average number of prior topic-specific publications per speaker, or the total average WCC. Conclusion The AANA and AOSSM annual meetings largely include selected content speakers with prior peer-reviewed literature. While publication history and associated academic metrics may be factors in speaker selection, each organization likely has its own individual selection criteria for delivering high-quality programs.