[Scientific output of Spanish dermatology departments in international journals, 1997-2006]

The aim of this study was to determine the scientific output in international journals by Spanish dermatologists between 1997 and 2006 using PubMed.

Publications were identified with the following search query: (dermat*) and (spain or espagne or espanha or espana or spanien), with the limit "affiliation". Articles described in PubMed as "journal articles" or "reviews" were included and those published in Spanish journals excluded.

We identified 1018 articles: 492 published between 1997 and 2001, and 526 published between 2002 and 2006. The majority were case reports (705, 69.3 %), but there were also 120 reviews (11.8 %). Most of the articles were published in dermatology journals with Science Citation Index impact factors (877, 86.1 %), with the following representing the main ones: Contact Dermatitis (129, 12.7 %), Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (115, 11.3 %), and the British Journal of Dermatology (86, 8.4 %). Nine institutions accounted for more than 50 % of the articles published. Notable among them were the following: Hospital Universitario La Princesa in Madrid (78, 7.7 %), Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona (71, 7.1 %), and Hospital Clínic in Barcelona (63, 6.2 %). Seven provinces produced 80 % of the publications, with Madrid (257, 25.2 %), Barcelona (244, 24.0 %), and A Coruña (98, 9.6 %) accounting for the highest proportion. Five autonomous communities accounted for 82 % of the publications: Madrid (257, 25.2 %), Catalonia (251, 24.7 %), Galicia (116, 11.4 %), the Autonomous Community of Valencia (112, 11.0 %), and Andalusia (96,9.4 %).

The scientific output in international journals has remained stable over the last decade. Authors and institutions from Barcelona and Madrid continued to be the most productive.