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Publications from the Caribbean in the health sciences
Bulletin of the Pan American Health Organization
|June 1, 1995
Summary
Caribbean health research from 1976-1990 shows Jamaica dominated publications. Most studies focused on general medicine, with many outside priority health areas. Barbados saw significant publication increases.
Area of Science:
- Health research
- Bibliometrics
- Caribbean science policy
Background:
- Scientific publication trends in the Caribbean between 1976 and 1990 were analyzed.
- The study assessed health research output from Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide new insights into Caribbean health research through publication analysis.
- To evaluate the alignment of published research with regional health priorities.
Main Methods:
- A bibliometric analysis of 1,712 scientific titles was conducted.
- Data was sourced from SCISEARCH, an international index of medical and scientific literature.
- Publications were categorized by subject, country of origin, and author affiliation.
Main Results:
- Jamaica produced approximately 75% of the publications, with a notable increase over time, especially in Barbados.
- The University of the West Indies was the primary institutional affiliation for authors.
- The West Indian Medical Journal was the sole regional publication indexed by SCISEARCH.
- Most research focused on general medicine, with experimental medicine concentrated in Jamaica and public health distributed across countries.
- A significant majority (63.8%) of publications did not align with the Caribbean Cooperation in Health (CCH) Initiative priority areas.
Conclusions:
- Jamaica was the leading contributor to Caribbean health research during the study period.
- Research output showed growth, particularly in Barbados.
- A substantial portion of the published health research did not address identified regional priorities, suggesting a potential gap between research output and public health needs.