[Bibliometric analysis of scientific production about HIV/AIDS in Peru 1985-2010]. / Análisis bibliométrico de la producción científica sobre VIH/SIDA en el Perú 1985-2010.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the evolution of published scientific articles on HIV/AIDS in Peru. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis of papers on HIV/AIDS published in journals indexed in MEDLINE, SciELO and LILACS until October 2010. We selected research papers fully developed in Peru, and multicenter studies with participating Peruvian sites. RESULTS: We identified 257 publications on HIV/AIDS, showing an increase since 2003. The average publication delay was 2.8±1.8 years. Only 94 (36.6 %) articles were published in Spanish. The most studied areas were epidemiology (36.6 %) and clinical topics (35.8 %). The cross-sectional design was the most frequent (56.8 %) followed by case series. According to the WHO classification, studies to learn more about the disease and risk factors predominated (85.6 %) and according to the intervention areas, 46.7 % focused on diagnosis and treatment. Most studies were conducted in Lima (65.9 %). 48.2 % of studies focused on people living with HIV/AIDS. Finally, Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública was the journal that published most articles on HIV/AIDS (9.7 %). CONCLUSIONS: We found a growth in scientific production on HIV/AIDS in Peru; however, we believe that the research undertaken was not based on an agreed national agenda or national research priorities, which might have limitted its dissemination and application.