Pharmacy resident research publication rates: A national and regional comparison

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the publication rate of pharmacy resident projects from 2004 to 2007, compare publication rates of abstracts from regional and national pharmacy conferences, and assess characteristics of published abstracts. DesignA random sample of abstracts for residency years 2004–2007 was selected from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Fall and Spring meetings and the regional resident conferences including: Alcalde, Great Lakes, Eastern States, Southeastern, Midwestern, and Western States. Based on an expected publication frequency of 10% and a 95% confidence interval, 161 national conference abstracts and 1335 regional conference abstracts were assessed for publication using a standardized strategy for searching for published articles in PubMed, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and Google Scholar. AssessmentThe overall publication rate of residency project abstracts presented at national and regional pharmacy meetings from 2004 to 2007 was 7.3%. The publication rate of abstracts presented at ACCP meetings was 13% while the rate of those at regional residency conferences was 6.6%. Among published abstracts, 74% had pharmacy residents as first author, 32% had pharmacy residents as corresponding authors, and 54% of publications were authored by a multidisciplinary team. Overall, 61% of these abstracts were published in peer-reviewed pharmacy journals, and 39% were published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Approximately 90% of articles were indexed in PubMed and the median time to publication was 24 months. ConclusionAbstracts presented at national pharmacy meetings were associated with higher publication rates when compared to regional meetings. Future studies should focus on identifying barriers to publication of pharmacy resident projects and strategies to overcome them.