Global research landscape and burden of disease in pediatrics: Identifying the research gaps to set directions for a new general pediatric journal

Abstract

AbstractPediatrics intersects with almost the entire field of medicine, and thus the diversity of suitable publication platforms is particularly broad. We reviewed the current health issues among children and adolescents, the topics and scope of existing pediatric journals, as well as the distribution of a random selection of articles according to different health topics and journal types. Neurological disorders, mental health, and neonatal conditions were major contributors not only to loss of health and life among children and adolescents but also common themes of research articles and pediatric subspecialty journals. On the other hand, in some clinical areas, such as dermatology, the research does not necessarily meet the needs of practice. Methodological studies in pediatrics were rarely published, but they were common among preprints. We call for Pediatric Discovery to promote a research viewpoint that focuses on the child instead of individual conditions, pay particular attention to health concerns associated with the greatest burden and interactions between them, and promote the further standardization of reporting and methodologies that account for the unique characteristics of children and adolescents.