Scholarly Impact of Quality Improvement Reports in Neonatology

Objective Neonatology quality improvement (QI) projects can improve the safety and value of health care, but the scholarly impact of published QI projects is unclear. We measured scholarly citation and media attention garnered by published neonatology QI projects and analyzed project or publication characteristics associated with increased impact metrics. Study Design We identified publications between 2016 and 2019 using mapping review methodology. We correlated project characteristics with measures of scholarly citation in Scopus and Google Scholar, and media attention as measured by Altmetrics. We collected Citation and Altmetric data in 2023. Results The search identified 148 eligible articles, with a median citation count of 7 based on Scopus (or 12, based on Google Scholar) and a median Altmetric score of 2. Notably, 66% of articles published in a journal with an Impact Factor (IF) had more citations per year than would be expected from the IF value. Higher scientific citations were associated with articles reporting process and cost outcomes; implementing interventions that addressed family education or organizational change; and using regression analysis. Higher media attention was associated with multicenter projects, longer intervention periods, and projects scoring higher on the Quality Improvement Minimum Quality Criteria Set (QI-MQCS) rubric. Conclusion Published neonatology QI projects are well cited in subsequent scientific publications, with the choice of project outcome, interventions, and analytic strategy influencing citation metrics. Adherence to QI-MQCS guidelines was favorably associated with media attention, but not with scholarly citations.