Rate and Predictors of Publication of Resident Abstracts Presented at Oman Medical Specialty Board Scientific Meetings

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the rate and factors associated with the publication of abstracts presented by residents at Oman Medical Specialty Board (OMSB) scientific meetings.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed in February 2018. Two previous national OMSB scientific meetings at which resident abstracts were presented were identified, having taken place in January 2014 and December 2016, respectively. Independent searches of the MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) and Google Scholar (Google LLC, Menlo Park, California, USA) databases were conducted to determine subsequent publication of the abstracts.

Results: A total of 68 resident abstracts were presented, of which most were clinical research (92.6%). Residents comprised 36.4% of the authors, of which 73.1% were senior residents. In 64 abstracts (94.1%), a resident was the first author. Overall, 15 abstracts (22.1%) resulted in articles published in 11 journals. Of these, 12 (80%) represented clinical research and 10 articles (66.7%) were published in MEDLINE-indexed journals. Residents were the first authors of eight articles (53.3%). The median time to publication was 19 months. The presence of two or more resident authors per abstract was significantly associated with publication (odds ratio = 5.50, 95% confidence interval = 1.15-26.36; = 0.03).

Conclusion: The publication rate of resident abstracts presented at two OMSB research meetings was low; however, a higher number of resident authors per abstract significantly increased the likelihood of publication. These findings may influence policymakers to implement measures to support inter-resident collaboration so as to increase research productivity.