Annual variations of publications on COVID-19 in the Revista Cubana de Medicina Militar; Variaciones anuales de las publicaciones sobre COVID-19 en la Revista Cubana de Medicina Militar

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to global public health, leading to a significant increase in scientific production in medical sciences. Objective: To describe the annual variations in publications on COVID-19 in the Revista Cubana de Medicina Militar. Methods: A 4-year bibliometric study (2020-2023) was conducted, including 110 documents on COVID-19. Changes in the timing of publications and the medical specialty addressed were analyzed. Results: Of the total articles, 110 (16.8%) were on COVID-19, with publications of 16.5%, 28.3%, 22.6%, and 15.4% in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the number of documents between 2020, 2022, and 2023 (p< 0.05). There was a progressive increase in the number of publications over the years, with a particular concentration on mental health (3.8% in 2020 and 42.5% in 2023). In 2020, the main topics were therapeutics, education and research, epidemiology, forensic medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology, while in 2023, it was mental health. Conclusions: These findings suggest an evolution in the focus of research during the pandemic years, with a growing emphasis on mental health. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.