International diffusion of the Spanish research on pain. Analysis of the period 1981-1990

BACKGROUND. The significance of pain in medical practice has excited considerable interest among both practicing physicians and researchers. In Spain, interest in this field has come late. OBJECTIVE. To analyze the international dissemination of Spanish pain research during the period from 1981 through 1990. METHODS. All articles reporting research carried out in Spain and published during the period under study were collected and analyzed if they included the term "pain" as a keyword. The data bases used for collection were CD-ROM versions of Excerpta Medica CD Drugs & Pharmacology and MEDLINE. RESULTS. Articles considering pain to be a main topic numbered 228. Spanish contributions to the field tripled in the period studied. Half the articles were generated by either Anesthesia and Intensive Care or Pharmacology departments and were published mainly in REVISTA ESPANOLA DE ANESTESIOLOGIA Y REANIMACION (51), Medicina Clínica (17) and Revista Clínica Española (10). Most of the published articles reported clinical research (192), particularly in the areas of cancer pain (29), trials (20), and postoperative (20), neurological (15) and joint (12) pain. Most (67.6%) were published in Spanish. Although most articles listed four or more authors, only 2.4% of the authors and 17.7% of the centers published more than three articles. Most studies were carried out in hospitals (69.1%) or universities (18.2%), principally in Catalonia (26.7%), Madrid (18.2%) and Andalusia (17%). CONCLUSIONS. In spite of increased research seen in recent years, the dissemination of Spanish science may be limited because of its publications mainly in Spanish. Research is scattered, with only a small number of authors following a continuous line of research.