Key result
High-income countries dominated the 50 most cited surgical articles, with male first authors accounting for 88% of the publications.
Why the study?
This study was conducted to examine global disparities in surgical research output between hospital systems and national healthcare institutions.
Systematic Review (n=50)
High-income countries and male authors dominate highly cited surgical research, highlighting the need for equitable funding and investment in low-resource settings.
May bias surgical evidence synthesis toward male, high-income perspectives; challenges equity assumptions in citation-driven research hierarchies.
This systematic review examined global disparities in surgical research output between hospital systems and national healthcare institutions. A bibliometric analysis of the 50 most cited surgical articles in Web of Science was performed following PRISMA. High-income countries, particularly North America and Western Europe, dominated output, while Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of the Middle East were underrepresented. Male first authors accounted for 88% of articles; female authorship showed comparable citation performance. Higher co-authorship correlated with greater citations but lower evidence levels. Equitable funding, open access, and investment in low-resource settings are essential to foster inclusive, context-relevant innovation.
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Ahmad et al. (2025) conducted a systematic review in Surgical research (n=50). Surgical research output was evaluated on Global disparities in surgical research output and authorship. High-income countries dominated the 50 most cited surgical articles, with male first authors accounting for 88% of the publications.
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