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Spatial and Temporal Overview of Research in Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology: Trends and Global Challenges

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Abstract

Available information on the global distribution of research output in pediatric cardiology (PC) is sparse. This study took a bibliometric approach to characterize research output, assess the level of competition, describe the geographic distribution of the leading research centers in the field, and investigate determinants of research output. In addition, the study characterized the journals publishing PC research and identified temporal trends in research interest over time. Publications presenting original research in PC between 1995 and 2011 were identified. A total of 9,410 relevant articles were identified based on a PubMed search followed by subsequent electronic filtering and manual review. A dramatic increase in PC publications was seen during the study period (from 309 in 1995 to 1,075 in 2011). This was accompanied by an increase in impact factors and an overproportional rise in PC contributions relative to the general PubMed trend. Research in PC was shown to be highly competitive and becoming increasingly so (Herfindahl–Hirschman index of 1.64 %). Research output correlated with gross domestic product, national levels of corruption, education, urbanization, geography, and presence of national centers of excellence. The data presented in this report allow benchmarking of different cities and countries and provide insights into the potential determinants of high-quality publications and the spectrum of publishing journals. The report also highlights the central role of subspecialty journals and shows that PC research output is related to national wealth, surrogates of appropriate use of resources, an adequate workforce, and education. Additionally, it emphasizes the potential beneficial effects of establishing centers of excellence in the field.

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Acknowledgments

This project was kindly supported by the Karla Völlm charitable foundation (EMAH Stiftung Karla Völlm), Krefeld, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adult Congenital and Valvular Heart Disease, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany

    Martina Bräutigam, Aleksander Kempny, Robert Radke, Helmut Baumgartner & Gerhard-Paul Diller

  2. Imperial College of Science and Medicine, London, UK

    Aleksander Kempny & Gerhard-Paul Diller

Authors
  1. Martina Bräutigam
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  2. Aleksander Kempny
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  3. Robert Radke
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  4. Helmut Baumgartner
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  5. Gerhard-Paul Diller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerhard-Paul Diller.

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Bräutigam, M., Kempny, A., Radke, R. et al. Spatial and Temporal Overview of Research in Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology: Trends and Global Challenges. Pediatr Cardiol 35, 1007–1019 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-014-0889-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-014-0889-3

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