An overview of Australian podiatry research: a bibliometric review

Background: Podiatrists are the primary health professionals associated with assessment, diagnosis and management of lower limb problems. Research is critical in informing evidence-based practice. As part of a national research priorities project, this bibliometric review aimed to map all Australian podiatry-relevant research from 1970 to 2024 and explore volume over time, authors, institutions, level of evidence, funding sources and categories of research. Methods: Podiatry-relevant research was categorised into 10 streams: dermatology, diabetes-related foot disease, gerontology, musculoskeletal and sports, paediatrics, rheumatology, surgery, workforce and education, First Nations foot health and neurological and vascular disease. A systematic search of the literature was conducted in each stream up until December 2024. Meta-data from Scopus were analysed in Biblioshiny, where publications volume, authors, institutions, journals and collaborations were described. Each publication was also categorised for level of evidence using the National Health and Medical Research Council criteria, research type using the United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration Health Research Classification System and funding source using Higher Education Research Data Collection specifications. Results: A total of 1641 publications were included across all research streams. Steady increases in publication volume occurred over the past 20 years, with diabetes-related foot disease yielding the highest volume (n = 335), followed by musculoskeletal (n = 308) and paediatrics (n = 280). Musculoskeletal and sports research demonstrated the highest proportion of level I evidence (22%), whereas most streams were dominated by level IV evidence. The majority of research across all streams received no funding support, ranging from 32% unfunded in First Nations foot health research to 87% in surgical research. Rheumatology achieved the highest proportion of competitive funding (47% Category 1). The most frequent research categories were aetiology, detection and screening and evaluation of treatments. The Journal of Foot and Ankle Research was the most frequent publication source, with 140 (8%) of total publications. Conclusion: Australian podiatry-relevant research has grown substantially, particularly over the past 2 decades. However, significant disparities exist in volume, evidence quality and funding across different streams, with most research conducted without external funding support, highlighting the need for strategic investment to enhance evidence generation in key areas of podiatry practice.