Health-related publications on people living in fragile states in the alert zone: a bibliometric analysis
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International Journal of Mental Health Systems Open Access
RESEARCH
Health‑related publications on people living in fragile states in the alert zone: a bibliometric analysis Waleed M. Sweileh*
Abstract Background: Fragile states pose a global challenge. Assessing health research activity on people living in these states can help identify neglected health domains in fragile settings. The objective of the current study was to assess and describe health research activity on people living in fragile states in the alert zone. Method: A bibliometric method was applied using SciVerse Scopus. Research articles published on people in fragile states in the alert zone were retrieved and analyzed. The Fragile State Index (FSI) score was used for selection of states in the alert zone. The analysis was limited to 1 year; 2018. Results: The search query found 2299 research articles giving an average of 2 research articles per one million population per year in the selected fragile states. The number of research articles per one million population was not significantly correlated (p = 0.053; r = − 0.349) with FSI scores. However, it was significantly correlated with the extent of international research collaboration (p 90). The objective of the current study was not to measure research output by authors affiliated with fragile states in the alert zone. Rather, the objective was to analyze research activity on health-related issues on people living in the fragile states regardless of the country affiliation of the authors. Furthermore, the current study was not meant to map the term “fragile state” in the literature. The analysis aimed to shed light on volume and research domains, the status of research collaboration, and key players in publishing articles on people living in countries described as fragile states and ranked in the alert zone. A literature search using Google Scholar showed that several research articles have been published on the health status of certain countries in the alert zone [25, 26]. However, none was carried out to map important health issues of people living in fragile states in the alert zone. The current study will endorse the ambitions of international key players in shedding light on the topic of fragility and fragile states as an essential element of global peace and security if we aim to reach a better world [12]. At the scientific level, the current study will serve (1) research and health institutions interested in global health security to better assess research on fragile states [27]; (2) international health agencies to allocate research gaps in these fragile states and tailor health support and health aids based on the identified gaps; (3) international funding agencies to strengthen health systems in most neglected health aspects [28, 29]; and (4) create and encourage research collaboration with colleagues in fragile states to rebuild the health research capabilities [30].
Method Database used
The database used to accomplish the objective of the current study was SciVerse Scopus. The
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