A data-driven planning approach to improve patient outcomes

Every decision holds weight in medical research publishing. Yet the usual metrics that inform choices, such as where to publish or how to assess impact, only offer a partial view, resulting in hit-or-miss success in reaching the target audience. Can a data-driven approach that applies alternative, as well as traditional, metrics improve publication planning and impact, thus leading to improved patient outcomes?

American businessman Eugene Garfield introduced the idea of assessing a journal’s impact through citation counts in the early 1960s. But Garfield’s so-called Impact Factor (IF) faces inherent limitations, as highlighted by the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which questioned reliance on IF for evaluating research quality. IF primarily reflects past performance, so fails to capture a journal’s current relevance. Moreover, it cannot predict the success of individual papers or account for the diverse real world impact of research.

Altmetric, which tracks mentions of research outputs across various online platforms, offers a more comprehensive view of influence, capturing both scholarly and public engagement. Derived metrics like SNIP, SJR, and CiteScore provide alternative perspectives, considering factors like normalization to enhance comparability across disciplines and journal sizes. Armed with a fuller picture, publication planners are able to better understand what constitutes a’ good journal’ and work to publish research in titles that offer the greatest overall impact. 

Data-driven tools, including the Journal Selection dashboard, leverages both Altmetric and Dimensions data to give fast access to precise metrics and offer a comprehensive understanding of a journal’s global impact. Users are able to make informed decisions on where to publish, thus maximizing the reach and scientific impact of research.

Furthermore, the Publication Impact dashboard measures a publication’s impact across various metrics, providing users with an accurate assessment of a publication’s performance. This allows comparisons with similar research outputs and helps reach target audiences.

The dashboard also provides direct insights into how pharmaceutical publications aid healthcare professionals in making informed clinical decisions. This enables Medical Affairs teams to monitor the effectiveness of their communications and publications strategies and gauge whether a publication is effectively influencing patient care. 

With solutions such as the Journal Selection dashboard and Publication Impact dashboard, stakeholders can track impact and help drive meaningful advancements in healthcare. As the industry continues to evolve, solutions such as Altmetric will become ever more important in harnessing the power of data to shape communication in medical research.

The above is a summary of a recent blog by Altmetric featured on the Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS).

If you have questions or want to learn more about the Journal Selection dashboard or the Publication Impact dashboard, please reach out to the Altmetric team.