Barriers to orthopedic surgery research productivity in Saudi Arabia

doi:10.5312/wjo.v17.i2.113461

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World Journal of Orthopedics

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2218-5836

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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World J Orthop. Feb 18, 2026; 17(2): 113461
Published online Feb 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i2.113461

Barriers to orthopedic surgery research productivity in Saudi Arabia

Abdulrahman Alaseem, Sara Alhomaidhi, Shahad Aljudi, Waleed Albishi

Abdulrahman Alaseem, Sara Alhomaidhi, Shahad Aljudi, Waleed Albishi, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 111472, Saudi Arabia

Author contributions: Alaseem A served as the study’s principal investigator, playing a key role in all phases, including study conceptualization, design, data collection, literature review, and manuscript revisions throughout the process; Alhomaidhi S, Aljudi S, and Albishi W contributed significantly to the development of research questions, study design, data analysis, manuscript drafting, referencing, and the final review of the manuscript; all authors have critically reviewed and approved the final draft and were responsible for the manuscript’s content and similarity index.

Institutional review board statement: The study protocol and survey were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, No. 23/0949/IRB.

Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent for using their data in this study. Their participation was voluntary, and confidentiality was ensured by anonymizing all collected data.

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.

Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The dataset is not publicly available due to participant confidentiality and institutional data protection policies.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Sara Alhomaidhi, MD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, King Saud University, King Abdallah Bin Abdul Aziz Road, Riyadh 111472, Saudi Arabia. sara.alhomaidhi1@gmail.com

Received: August 26, 2025
Revised: October 5, 2025
Accepted: December 3, 2025
Published online: February 18, 2026
Processing time: 162 Days and 9.9 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Research productivity is a cornerstone of academic medicine, driving evidence-based practice, innovation, and professional advancement. In surgical specialties such as orthopedics, active research engagement is essential to improving patient outcomes and advancing clinical techniques. However, despite notable progress in Saudi Arabia’s medical research landscape, orthopedic research output remains limited and concentrated within a few institutions. Understanding the barriers that hinder orthopedic surgeons from conducting research is therefore crucial to strengthening national research capacity and aligning with Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of fostering scientific excellence.

AIM

To identify the barriers that limit research productivity among orthopedic surgeons in Saudi Arabia and explore the goals and motivations influencing their engagement in research across different subspecialties and levels of practice.

METHODS

We used a descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative design, employing a structured online questionnaire distributed to 105 orthopedic surgeons across Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was adapted from validated tools and reviewed for validity. Participants reported practice patterns, research activity, and barriers to productivity. Associations between variables were analyzed using univariate and multivariate methods.

RESULTS

A total of 105 orthopedic surgeons completed the survey. A statistically significant association was found between prior research experience and having served as a primary investigator within the past 5 years. Additionally, a highly significant association was found with co-authorship in the last 5 years (P < 0.001), as 52 participants (55.3%) had contributed as co-authors at least once. However, there was no significant association between prior research experience and factors such as allocated research time (P = 0.280), level of practice (P = 0.147), years in practice (P = 0.826), or the number of patients seen per week (P = 0.885). Univariate analysis revealed several barriers to research productivity: (1) Insufficient research time (71; 67.6%); (2) Lack of research assistants (57; 54.3%); (3) Inadequate research training (48; 45.7%); (4) Lack of funding (42; 40%); (5) Lack of research collaboration (39; 37.1%); (6) Lack of reward/incentive (38; 36.2%); and (7) No personal interest (20; 19.04%).

CONCLUSION

Addressing protected time, support staff, and research training may enhance orthopedic research productivity. This study highlights key institutional and educational gaps that can guide policy reforms and strengthen national orthopedic research capacity.

Keywords: Orthopedic surgery; Orthopedic research; Research productivity; Research barriers; Research training; Saudi Arabia

Core Tip: Research productivity among orthopedic surgeons in Saudi Arabia remains limited due to restricted research time, insufficient support staff, and a lack of formal research training. This cross-sectional study highlights the key barriers and motivations influencing research engagement across various practice levels. Addressing these institutional and educational gaps is essential to strengthening orthopedic research capacity and enhancing national academic output.