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Participation of the hospitals in the Republic of Ireland in international research over more than a decade: a bibliometric analysis

Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) volume 189, pages 51–69 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

This study provides an accurate awareness of the present situation of health research in Irish hospitals both public and private. We aimed to analyze factors that may influence it and provide recommendations for active steps to improve the current situation of Irish health research based on our findings.

Methods

We performed a bibliometric analysis to assess qualitatively and quantitatively the publications from Ireland over a period between 2007 and 2018. We also investigated the associated variables with the quality of research. Furthermore, we conducted a Joinpoint analysis to see the trends in Irish research over these years.

Results

From 12,828 included peer-reviewed articles, the average citation count per article was 19.98. Furthermore, we showed that a higher impact factor (IF) and institutions number, present per article, were significantly associated with more citations. Also, the publication count and the mean IF showed an increase over the years according to the Joinpoint analysis. Moreover, the oncology research had the highest output, followed by pediatrics, then neurology while the specialties with least publications were ear, nose, and throat (ENT), urology, plastic surgery, and dentistry. Additionally, cardiovascular, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, pediatrics, pulmonology, dermatology, ophthalmology, dentistry, and radiology research showed an increased publication count trend in recent years. While anesthesiology, ENT, general surgery, gastroenterology and hepatology, infection and tropical medicine, nephrology, neurology, orthopedics, plastic surgery, and urology showed a decrease in the publications trend.

Conclusions

Our findings may serve as a useful approach to benchmark scientific output from hospitals and guide the future allocation of research spending.

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Data availability

The collected data will be available upon reasonable request.

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Funding

No funding was received for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Beni-Suef University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt

    Ahmed Abdelaal Ahmed Mahmoud

  2. Department of Anaesthesia, Pain Medicine and Critical Care, Tallaght University Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 NR0A, Ireland

    Ahmed Abdelaal Ahmed Mahmoud

  3. Department of Anaesthesia, Cambridge University Hospital, Cambridge, UK

    Mohamed I Younis

  4. Department of Anaesthesia, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Christopher Holmes, Amr Sallam, Eugene Dempsey & Orla Mulhern

  5. Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Ain Shams University Hospital, Cairo Governorate, Egypt

    Amr Sallam

  6. Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minya, Egypt

    Mohamed Gomaa Kamel

Authors
  1. Ahmed Abdelaal Ahmed Mahmoud
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  2. Mohamed I Younis
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  3. Christopher Holmes
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  4. Amr Sallam
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  5. Mohamed Gomaa Kamel
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  6. Eugene Dempsey
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  7. Orla Mulhern
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Contributions

AAAM was responsible for the idea and study design. All authors shared in searching the database, data extraction, statistical analysis, writing the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed Abdelaal Ahmed Mahmoud.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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No ethical approval was required.

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Key points

- As of today, no bibliometric studies of the medical research output from Irish hospitals have been conducted.

- The current study is the first bibliometric analysis of the medical research output from Irish hospitals.

- This study offers a perspective of this research output in comparison with other countries.

- The study provides an accurate awareness of the present situation of health research in Irish hospitals and will serve as a reference point for future studies in this field.

- A limitation is that the analysis covered the research output over the period 2007–2018 only.

Appendices

Appendix 1: A list of the hospitals in Ireland

County Galway and Galway City

  • Bon Secours Hospital, Galway

  • Galway Clinic, Galway

  • Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway

  • Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe

  • University Hospital Galway, Galway

County Leitrim

  • Our Lady’s Hospital, Manorhamilton

County Mayo

  • Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar

  • Ballina District Hospital, Ballina

  • Swinford District Hospital, Swinford

  • Belmullet District Hospital, Belmullet

  • Sacred Heart Hospital, Castlebar

County Roscommon

  • Roscommon County hospital, Roscommon

  • Sacred Heart Hospital, Roscommon

County Sligo

  • Sligo General Hospital, Sligo

  • St. John’s Hospital, Sligo

  • St. Joseph’s Hospital, Sligo

Leinster

County Carlow

  • St. Dympna’s Hospital

County Dublin and Dublin City

  • Beaumont Hospital, Dublin

  • Blackrock Clinic, Blackrock

  • Bloomfield Care Centre, Rathfarnham

  • Bon Secours Hospital, Dublin

  • Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Finglas

  • Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum

  • Cherry Orchard Hospital, Ballyfermot

  • Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street

  • Clonskeagh Hospital, Clonskeagh

  • Coombe Women’s Hospital, Dolphin’s Barn

  • Hermitage Medical Clinic, Lucan, County Dublin

  • Highfield Hospital, Whitehall

  • Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital of Ireland, Clontarf

  • Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown

  • Dublin Dental Hospital, Lincoln Place

  • Leopardstown Park Hospital, Foxrock

  • Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin

  • Mater Private Hospital, Eccles Street

  • Mount Carmel Hospital, Churchtown, Dublin

  • National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street

  • National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún Laoghaire

  • Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin

  • Peamount Hospital, Newcastle

  • The Rotunda Maternity Hospital

  • Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Baggot Street

  • The Royal Hospital, Donnybrook

  • Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Adelaide Road

  • Sports Surgery Clinic, Santry, Dublin

  • St. Brendan’s Hospital, Dublin

  • St. Bricin’s Military Hospital, Arbour Hill

  • St. Columcille’s Hospital, Loughlinstown

  • St. Edmundsbury Hospital, Lucan, County Dublin

  • St. Ita’s Psychiatric Hospital, Portrane

  • St. James’s Hospital, Rialto

  • St. John of God Hospital, Stillorgan

  • St. Joseph’s Hospital, Dublin

  • St. Loman’s Hospital, Palmerstown

  • St. Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar

  • St. Mary’s Hospital (Baldoyle), Baldoyle

  • St. Mary’s Hospital (Phoenix Park), Phoenix Park

  • St. Michael’s Hospital, Dún Laoghaire

  • St. Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin 8

  • St. Paul’s Hospital, Dublin]

  • St. Vincent’s Psychiatric Hospital, Fairview

  • St. Vincent’s Private Hospitalf, Merrion Road

  • St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Elm Park

  • Simpson’s Hospital, Dundrum

  • Tallaght Hospital, Tallaght

County Kildare

  • Clane Hospital, Clane

  • Naas General Hospital, Naas

  • St. Vincent’s Hospital, Athy

County Kilkenny

  • Aut Even Hospital, Kilkenny

  • Castlecomer District Hospital, Castlecomer

  • Lourdes Regional Orthopaedic Hospital, Kilcreene

  • St. Canice’s Psychiatric Hospital, Kilkenny

  • St. Luke’s General Hospital, Kilkenny

County Laois

  • Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise

  • St. Fintan’s Hospital, Portlaoise

County Louth

  • Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda

  • Louth County Hospital, Dundalk

County Meath

  • Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan

  • St. Joseph’s Hospital, Trim

County Offaly

  • Birr District Hospital, Birr

  • Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore

County Westmeath

  • Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar

  • St. Loman’s Psychiatric Hospital, Mullingar

  • St. Mary’s Hospital (Mullingar), Mullingar

  • Saint Francis Private Hospital, Mullingar

County Wexford

  • Ely Hospital, Wexford

  • Gorey District Hospital, Gorey

  • New Houghton Hospital, New Ross

  • John’s Hospital, Enniscorthy

  • St Senan’s Psychiatric Hospital, Enniscorthy

  • Wexford General Hospital, Wexford

County Wicklow

  • St. Vincent’s Hospital, Wicklow

  • Newcastle Hospital, Newtownmountkennedy

Munster

County Clare

  • Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis

  • St. Johns Hospital, Ennis

  • Caherkalla Hospice and Private Hospital, Ennis

County Cork and Cork City

  • Bandon Community Hospital, Bandon

  • Bantry General Hospital, Bantry

  • Bon Secours Hospital, Cork

  • Cork Medical Centre, Cork (Closed)

  • Cork University Hospital, Cork

  • Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork

  • Erinville Hospital, Cork

  • Mallow General Hospital, Mallow

  • Mater Private

  • Marymount Hospital, Cork

  • Mercy Hospital, Cork

  • Shanakiel Hospital, Cork

  • South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork

  • St. Anthony’s Hospital, Dunmanway

  • St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork

  • St. Mary’s Orthopaedic Hospital, Cork

  • St. Patrick’s Hospital, Fermoy

  • St. Stephen’s Hospital, Glanmire, Cork

  • Tabor Lodge, Tabor

County Kerry

  • Bon Secours Hospital, Tralee

  • Cahersiveen Community Hospital (St. Anne’s), Cahersiveen

  • Dingle Community Hospital (St. Elizabeth’s), Dingle

  • Kenmare Community Hospital, Kenmare

  • Killarney Community Hospital, Killarney

  • Listowel Community Hospital, Listowel

  • St. Finan’s Hospital, Killarney

  • University Hospital Kerry, Tralee

County Limerick and Limerick City

  • Barringtons Hospital, Limerick

  • University Hospital Limerick

  • Mid-Western Regional Orthopaedic Hospital, Croom

  • St. Camillus’ Geriatric Hospital, Limerick

  • St. John’s Hospital (Limerick)

  • St. Munchins Maternity Hospital, Limerick

  • St. Brigid’s Psychiatric Hospital, Ardee

County Tipperary

  • Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Nenagh

  • South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel

  • St. Brigid’s District Hospital, Carrick-on-Suir

County Waterford and Waterford City

  • St. Joseph’s Hospital, Dungarvan

  • St. Otteran’s Psychiatric Hospital, Waterford

  • St. Vincent’s District Hospital, Dungarvan

  • Waterford Regional Hospital, Waterford

Ulster

County Cavan

  • Cavan General Hospital

County Donegal

  • Ballyshannon

  • Carndonagh Community Hospital, Carndonagh

  • Donegal Community Hospital, Donegal Town

  • Dungloe Community Hospital, Dungloe

  • Killybegs Community Hospital, Killybegs

  • Letterkenny General Hospital, Letterkenny

  • Lifford Community Hospital, Lifford

  • St. Conal’s Psychiatric Hospital, Letterkenny

County Monaghan

  • Monaghan Hospital, Monaghan

Appendix 2

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Abdelaal Ahmed Mahmoud, A., Younis, M.I., Holmes, C. et al. Participation of the hospitals in the Republic of Ireland in international research over more than a decade: a bibliometric analysis. Ir J Med Sci 189, 51–69 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-019-02077-6

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