Health policy and systems research publications in Latin America warrant the launching of a new specialised regional journal

Abstract

Background: Scientific journals play a critical role in research validation and dissemination and are increasingly vocal about the identification of research priorities and the targeting of research results to key audiences. No new journals specialising in health policy and systems research (HPSR) and focusing in the developing world or in a specific developing world region have been established since the early 1980s. This paper compares the growth of publications on HPSR across Latin America and the world and explores the potential, feasibility and challenges of innovative publication strategies. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was undertaken using HPSR MeSH terms with journals indexed in Medline. A survey was undertaken among 2500 authors publishing on HPSR in Latin America (LA) through an online survey, with a 13.1% response rate. Aggregate indicators were constructed and validated, and two-way ANOVA tests were performed on key variables. Results: HPSR publications on LA observed an average annual growth of 27.5% from the years 2000 to 2018, as against 11.4% worldwide and yet a lag on papers published per capita. A total of 48 journals with an Impact Factor publish HPSR on LA, of which 5 non-specialised journals are published in the region and are ranked in the bottom quintile of Impact Factor. While the majority of HPSR papers worldwide is published in specialised HPSR journals, in LA this is the minority. Very few researchers from LA sit in the Editorial Board of international journals. Researchers highly support strengthening quality HPSR publications through publishing in open access, on-line journals with a focus on the LA region and with peer reviewers specialized on the region. Researchers would support a new open access journal specializing in the LA region and in HPSR, publishing in English. Open access up-front costs and disincentives while waiting for an Impact Factor can be overcome.

Global financing for health policy and systems research: a review of funding opportunities

“…By HPSR, we refer to research on the policies and systems that can improve health goals, typically through the planning, implementation and evaluation of global health projects (Gilson, 2012). Yet, despite repeated calls to increase HPSR allocations, there is limited evidence that funding has increased although one positive sign is a year-on-year increase in published articles on HPSR-related topics (Adam et al, 2011;English and Pourbohloul, 2017;González Block et al, 2020). The flagship Global Symposium on Health Systems Research has also attracted a record number of submissions-∼3000-in 2018 from across the world, including two-thirds from authors in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Macarayan et al, 2019).…”

Realizing the right to health in Latin America, equitably

“…Latin America and the Caribbean encompasses a large variety of experiences in its process of the realization of the right to health for all. However, the region’s achievements and challenges either at the sub-national, national or regional levels [ 11 ] are not always documented. This special issue acknowledges the continuing path towards the realization of the right to health and thus, seeks to present and promote a deeper and more nuanced understanding of this path by presenting a variety of examples related to equity in health from countries across the region.…”