African Index Medicus--a cooperative undertaking

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Global Health Documentation
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online) primarily indexes articles from developed nations.
• Significant medical and health information from non-industrialized countries remains excluded from major international databases.
• This exclusion leads to a skewed representation of global biomedical knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight initiatives aimed at including underrepresented medical literature.
• To describe the establishment of the African Index Medicus on a cooperative basis.
• To report on the challenges and advancements in this collaborative indexing effort.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing initiatives for broader medical literature inclusion.
• Description of the cooperative framework for establishing the African Index Medicus.
• Analysis of encountered problems and progress made during the project's development.

Main Results:

• The establishment of the African Index Medicus as a cooperative indexing service.
• Identification of specific challenges faced during the creation and operation of the index.
• Demonstration of progress in increasing the visibility of African medical literature.

Conclusions:

• Western-centric indexing services significantly underrepresent the scientific output of non-industrialized regions (e.g., 2% participation for 80% of the world's output).
• Collaborative initiatives like the African Index Medicus are crucial for a more equitable representation of global biomedical information.
• Addressing this gap is essential for a comprehensive understanding of worldwide health research and advancements.