Scientific production of Spanish emergencistsover the last 30 years (1975-2004). A comparison with the production of other specialties in Spain and with that of emergencists abroad

Miró O, Salgado E, González-Duque A, Tomás Vecina S, Burillo-Putze G, Sánchez M

Background and aims: to compare the research production of

Spanish emergency physicians (emergencists) and its evolution

between 1975 and 2004, as compared to taht of other specialties

in Spain and to that of emergencists abroad.

Material and methods: The Expanded Science Citation Index was used for

investigation. In order to acquire documents from Spanish emergencists,the

presence of the term “Spain” in the Address field was required, as well as

any of the terms and expressions identifying an Emergency Service / Institution

/ Disposition in our country (be it in English, Spanish, Catalan, Basque

or Galician language). Similar strategies were applied for the analysis of the

activities of further specialties in Spain (haematology, endocrinology, cardiology,

pneumonology, gastroenterology, paediatrics, surgery and traumatology)

and for those of emergencists abroad (the United Stated of America,

the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands and

Belgium). Only those papers classified as “Articles” were considered.

Results:Spanish emergencistswere the authors of 351 original papers (11.1 ±

13.1 original papers/year), with a considerably greater production volume over

the last ten nyears of the study period (1995-2004). The production volume of

Spanish emergencists ranks among the lowest of those examined and the

quinquennium analysis evidenced a progressive increase, though this was the

only one among those studied not to achieve statistical significance (p = 0.06).

However, the productive activity of Spanish emergencistsover the last ten years

has been the one showing the greatest increase ratio among all the Spanish

medical specialties examined, and ranks only second among that of emergencistsabroad,

being only surpassed by that of the Netherlands specialists.

Conclusions: The scientific productivity of Spanish emergency physicians

remains quantitatively rather poor, as compared to both that of other

Spanish specialists and of emergencists elsewhere. However, the

increase rate of that scientific productivity over the last ten years has

been the greatest one among those studied.

Burillo-Putze G, González-Duque A, Miró O, Salgado E, Sánchez M, Tomás Vecina S