Are they publishing? A descriptive cross-sectional profile and bibliometric analysis of the journal publication productivity of Italian physiotherapists.
Stefano Vercelli, Elisa Ravizzotti, Matteo Paci
PMID 29340208WHAT IT FOUND
Italian physiotherapists are publishing more papers, but very few hold university roles or PhDs.
Key findings
01Very few Italian physiotherapists hold academic roles or PhDs, with 7 faculty and 31 PhD holders identified.
02By 2016, 363 Italian physiotherapists had been involved in Scopus-indexed journal publications, a prevalence of 0.56%.
03The number of articles published by Italian physiotherapists increased steadily over the years.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The search for authors was not exhaustive because no database allows searching by both profession and country. Only Scopus-indexed journals were considered, which may have underestimated publications. Academic and programme information depended on website updates rather than direct ministry or university records. Bibliometric indicators such as H-index and impact factor are standardised but have been criticised and do not measure clinical effectiveness. About 25 highly productive physiotherapists were responsible for more than 20% of all publications. Researchers and clinicians were classified by affiliation, not by time spent on research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the growing number of publications as proof that Italian physiotherapy has enough academic capacity or that this work changes patient care. The study reports bibliometric counts, not clinical outcomes.