Network analysis revealing research focus of the German Congress of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery 2021

Abstract

Background

The German congress for orthopedics and trauma surgery is the largest congress of this specialty in Europe. It reflects the latest scientific achievements and thus has a lasting impact on both, clinical practice and research. Understanding what is currently moving the specialist groups therefore helps to understand where orthopedics and trauma surgery is heading.

Methods

Contribution titles, topics, authors, and cities were extracted from the German Medical Science database (https://www.egms.de/) and using three distinct network analyses: an author network, a city network, and an entity network. Internal ratings were obtained from the congress committee for further elaboration.

Results

The congress comprised 696 accepted papers, most of which were presented in German (72.41%) and in the form of lectures (57.61%), focusing on topics such as “spine,” “basic research” and “polytrauma.” The city network revealed geographical clusters, with Berlin, Munich and Dresden forming the most closely networked nodes. In the entity network, three major communities emerged, focusing on clinical care, fracture research and joint-related studies. Of the 1232 submissions, 85.80% received a majority favorable review, and 56.49% were accepted, with the acceptance rate increasing in proportion to the review score.

Conclusion

The analysis of the DKOU 2021 revealed a broad scientific focus and research communities centered on clinical care, fracture studies and joint-related research. Transparent evaluation processes and global longitudinal comparisons are recommended to align research with the global burden of disease, taking into account the limitations of congress-based analyses and the influence of external factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic.