Publication rates and characteristics of medical theses from a University Hospital in México City

Abstract

Background. In medicine, as in other disciplines, a significant amount of research is first captured in the thesis of university degree candidates. Nevertheless, on many occasions the scientific rates of thesis publication are meager. The Hospital General “Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez” (HGMGG) is a relevant public university hospital in Mexico City; however, the characteristics, fate, and publication rates of the dissertations produced by medical residents are unknown. Objective. The objective of the present study was to examine these essential aspects in our Hospital to identify areas of opportunity to increase publishing of these research dissertations. Material and methods. Data from the theses presented between 1980 and 2000 were obtained from the TESIUNAM repository. Publication of theses in indexed and non-indexed biomedical journals was assessed by a search strategy using Google Scholar, SciELO, Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, ProQuest, Ebsco, Ovid, Imbiomed, and Lilacs databases. Results. Sixty-eight of 360 (18.9%) medical theses written by residents were transformed into articles published in scientific journals. Residents were the first authors on 19% (13/68) of these articles. The factors associated with the publication of a particular thesis were a prospective and analytical design; human beings as the study subjects; presentation by the Department of Pediatrics; supervisor with PhD degree, and Mexican journal with impact factor in SJR and Scopus Impact Factor. Discussion. A low proportion of theses’ publication was found in our hospital. It is necessary to implement measures to improve the rate of publication by residents.