Research Output by Internal Medicine Specialty
General practice/primary care physicians, internal medicine generalists, and family medicine practitioners produce the most research among internal medicine specialties, with general practice/primary care leading at 38.9% of studies, followed by internal medicine at 28.3%, and family medicine at 23.7%. 1
Evidence from Systematic Analysis
The most comprehensive and recent data comes from a 2024 systematic review published in JAMA Network Open that analyzed 283 studies involving 66,732 physicians across multiple specialties. 1
Distribution of Research by Specialty
The top four specialties producing research were:
- General practice/primary care physicians: 110 studies (38.9%) 1
- Internal medicine: 80 studies (28.3%) 1
- Family medicine: 67 studies (23.7%) 1
- General psychiatry: 55 studies (19.4%) 1
These findings indicate that primary care-oriented specialties collectively dominate research output, with general practice and primary care physicians producing the highest volume. 1
Context of Research Growth
The research landscape has expanded dramatically over recent decades. Studies increased from just 4 publications in 2000 to 213 in 2021, with a peak of 318 studies in 2020. 1 This exponential growth reflects increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice across all internal medicine specialties. 1
Oncology as a Notable Exception
While the systematic review focused on addiction medicine research, oncology represents a particularly research-intensive internal medicine subspecialty. A 2013 analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov revealed that 8,942 of 40,970 interventional studies (21.8%) focused on oncology between 2007-2010. 2 Medical oncology has evolved into the third largest subspecialty of internal medicine within just 25 years of its formal recognition. 3
Geographic Distribution
Research production is heavily concentrated in specific regions, with the United States accounting for 59.4% of studies, followed distantly by the United Kingdom (7.1%), Canada (5.7%), and Australia (5.3%). 1