Hirsch Index Value and Variability Related to General Surgery in a UK Deanery.
OBJECTIVE
The Hirsch Index (h-index) is often used to assess research impact, and on average a social science senior lecturer will have an h-index of 2.29, yet its validity within the context of UK General Surgery (GS) is unknown. The aim of this study was to calculate the h-indices of a cohort of GS consultants in a UK Deanery to assess its relative validity.


METHODS
Individual h-indices and total publication (TP) counts were obtained for GS consultants via the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) Internet search engines. Assessment of construct validity and reliability of these 2 measures of the h-index was undertaken.


METHODS
All hospitals in a single UK National Health Service Deanery were included (14 general hospitals).


METHODS
All 136 GS consultants from the Deanery were included.


RESULTS
Median h-index (Scopus) was 5 (0-52) and TP 15 (0-369), and strong correlation was found between h-index and TP (ρ = 0.932, p < 0.001), with the intraclass correlation between Scopus and WoS h-index also significant (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.973 [95% CI: 0.962-0.981], p < 0.001). Academic GS consultants had higher h-indices than nonacademic University Hospital and District General Hospital consultants (Scopus 12 vs 7 vs 4 [p < 0.001] and WoS 10.5 vs 7 vs 4 [p < 0.001]). h-Index was >2.29 in 57.4% of consultants. No subspecialty differences were apparent in median h-indices (p = 0.792) and TP (p = 0.903).


CONCLUSIONS
h-Index is a valid GS research productivity metric with over half of consultants performing at levels equivalent to social science Senior Lecturers.
Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. Electronic address: tarig007@yahoo.com.
Tarig
T
Abdelrahman
Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Josephine
J
Brown
Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Jenny
J
Wheat
Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Charlotte
C
Thomas
Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.
Wyn
W
Lewis
D015706:Bibliometrics; D003479:Curriculum; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D011643:Publishing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012106:Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom
Medical Knowledge; Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; Professionalism; academic; bilbiometrics; general surgery; research; training