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Ethics code: IR.IUMS.REC.1402.732
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (61 Views)
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented health and economic challenges in the Middle East. While scientific research plays a pivotal role in crisis response, the link between scientific output and clinical outcomes, such as mortality, has not been systematically examined in this region. This study investigates the correlation between bibliometric indicators of COVID-19 scientific publications and mortality rates in Middle Eastern countries.
Methods:This quantitative study utilized data from the Scopus database for scientific publications in the field of diabetes (2019-2023) and COVID-19 mortality data for Middle Eastern countries from the World Health Organization. Economic data were extracted from the World Bank. The correlations between variables were analysed using Spearman's rank correlation in RStudio.
Results: Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia had the highest volume of scientific publications. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between the volume of publications, citations, or average citations per article and mortality rates at the regional level. Significant correlations between some research indicators and mortality were observed only in a few specific countries, such as Israel.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that the volume of scientific output alone was not associated with reduced COVID-19 mortality in the Middle East. These results underscore the necessity of shifting focus from purely quantitative research towards targeted, high-quality, and applied research that is directly aligned with the needs of the region's health systems. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure and international collaboration is crucial to translating knowledge into effective public health action.
Methods:This quantitative study utilized data from the Scopus database for scientific publications in the field of diabetes (2019-2023) and COVID-19 mortality data for Middle Eastern countries from the World Health Organization. Economic data were extracted from the World Bank. The correlations between variables were analysed using Spearman's rank correlation in RStudio.
Results: Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia had the highest volume of scientific publications. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between the volume of publications, citations, or average citations per article and mortality rates at the regional level. Significant correlations between some research indicators and mortality were observed only in a few specific countries, such as Israel.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that the volume of scientific output alone was not associated with reduced COVID-19 mortality in the Middle East. These results underscore the necessity of shifting focus from purely quantitative research towards targeted, high-quality, and applied research that is directly aligned with the needs of the region's health systems. Strengthening healthcare infrastructure and international collaboration is crucial to translating knowledge into effective public health action.
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