Dermatological publications in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. An analysis of 1966-2004 Medline papers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the publications in dermatology cited in the Medline from 6 countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from 1966 to 2004.

METHODS: Medline was searched with the aid of Internet provider Pubmed using the same strategy at a given time for all countries.

RESULTS: At the time of search, the Medline listed biomedical research papers from the GCC countries totaled 12837. Of these, 140 were in Dermatology. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia followed by Kuwait was by far the most prolific contributor, whereas almost none were noted from Bahrain. The publications were highest during the year 2002 (19) followed by 2003 (13), most of them being in the English language in the International Journal of Dermatology (60 citations) and Pediatric Dermatology (13 citations).

CONCLUSION: Though the GCC countries have seen a relatively small period in the history of development of medical research, data show that they are trying to keep pace with the rest of the developed world. What remains to be exploited is their good economy that should be directed to provide better infrastructure and improve the quality of training programs. Professional societies within the region must play an active role in ensuring optimum and judicious use of funds.