Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the top-cited articles in the field of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) research. A cross-sectional bibliometric analysis was conducted in January 2021 by using Boolean search terms in the Scopus and the Web of Science databases. The 50 top-cited articles that met the inclusion criteria were ranked and evaluated for several characteristics, including year of publication, country of origin, authorship, publishing journal, topic categories, publishing type, and level of evidence. The median number of citations per article in the list was 442 (interquartile range [IQR], 320-520), with a median of 21.8 citations (IQR, 16.5-34.5) per year since publication. The publication years ranged from 1986 to 2017, with 1998 accounting for the greatest number of studies (n = 7). The citation classics were published in 20 journals and originated from institutions in 9 countries. The majority of the studies were clinical, of which expert opinion/review with Level V evidence and clinical studies with Levels I and II evidence comprised the greater proportion in the list. This study provides useful insights into the history and development of DFU research. The top-cited list may serve as a quick reference for education curriculums and clinical practice, in addition to providing a foundation for further studies on this topic.
Highlights
Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a common and much feared complication of diabetes
The citation classics were published in 20 journals and originated from institutions in nine countries
Twenty journals were represented by the citation classics, with Diabetes Care having the highest number of publications (n = 24; Table 2)
Summary
There are 463 million adults living with diabetes worldwide, and approximately 6.3% of them may suffer from foot ulcers.[1] At the initial presentation, more than half of DFUs are clinically infected, leading to substantial morbidity, a significantly impaired quality of life, and prolonged hospitalization, and preceding 80% of all non-traumatic lower extremity amputations.[2,3] The healthcare expenditures associated with the management of DFUs are considerably high, consuming about one-third of the total cost of diabetic care.[4] Tremendous studies have been conducted and published over the past decades given the serious consequence and huge burden of DFUs on patients, their families, and society Such a rapid growth of the DFU literature would be challenging with regard to acquainting novice researchers with the most salient topics, and concerning the thorough identification of this field to guide future studies. There is a paucity of literature concerning influential works on diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs)
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