La producción científica española en bioética a través de MEDLINE

Abstract

Objective: To describe Spain's scientific production in the field of bioethics from 1966 to 2003. Methods: Manuscripts published by Spanish authors between 1966 and 2003 and containing key word references to bioethics, ethics, and 22 other related terms were retrieved from the Medline database. Results: 858 documents were selected: 78 (9.1%) were published between 1966 and 1983, 163 (19%) between 1984 and 1993, and 617 (71.9%) between 1994 and 2003. The main subject areas treated were laws and rights (15.4%) and research and ethics committees (13.1%). The last of these periods witnessed an increase in publications on genetics and human cloning and a decrease in those treating abortion. Institutional affiliations referred mainly to universities (38.9%) and hospitals (38.5%). Conclusions: There was a progressive increase in the number of scientific publications on bioethics by Spanish authors during the study period.