[Scientific production of Spanish professionals in primary health care (1990-1997). A bibliometric analysis from MEDLINE].

OBJECTIVES

To describe the scientific production of primary care (PC) spanish professionals, during the current decade, using MEDLINE database. To identify which factors would explain the differences in the scientific production of PC professionals among Spanish autonomous communities (AACC).

DESIGN

Retrospective, descriptive and analytical study. It has been designed a search strategy that will be used to retrieve this production from 1990 to 1997.

MATERIAL

1014 documents published in 44 journals during the analysed period.

MEASUREMENTS

Chronological evolution, authors, institutional addresses, geographic distribution, journals and thematic areas of this scientific production were analysed. The scientific production of any AACC was studied according to its socio-economic and human resources data. By uni and multivariant analysis we studied if the differences in PC professional's scientific production among the AACC are explained by socio-economic variables, available human resources and the degree of implementation of the new PC model in any AACC.

MAIN RESULTS

During the studied period, it was detected from MEDLINE an increase in the scientific production of the spanish PC professionals, either in articles published by Atención Primaria journal (73.7%), as in other Spanish journals (22.6%) and non-Spanish (3.7%) journals. In 71.9% of the documents the first author comes from a primary care centre. The main thematic areas treated in the articles are family practice and primary care topics, but a quarter of them tackled clinical topics. The only variable that explained the differences in the scientific production of these professionals among AACC was the bigger or lower increment of people covered by the new PC model in any AACC during the analysed period. This variable only explained 20% of the variability. The level of provincial income was significantly and inversely correlated with its scientific production.

CONCLUSIONS

It can be set the suitability of MEDLINE for bibliometric studies of the scientific production of the spanish PC professionals. In global terms it has been detected an increment of this production. The degree of implementation of the new PC model in any AACC, has partially explained the differences in the scientific production of their PC professionals.