Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (May 2025)

Global Trends and Evidence Gaps in Medical Errors Research: A Mixed-Methods Scientometrics Study

  • Angarita-Pacheco Y,
  • Urbano López AD,
  • Hernandez-Paez DA,
  • Fiorillo-Moreno O,
  • Picón-Jaimes YA,
  • Beltrán Venegas T,
  • Rueda Olivella AM,
  • Lozada-Martinez ID,
  • Bermúdez V

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18, no. Issue 1
pp. 2497 – 2508

Abstract

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Yessica Angarita-Pacheco,1 Angie Daniela Urbano López,1 David A Hernandez-Paez,2 Ornella Fiorillo-Moreno,3,4 Yelson Alejandro Picón-Jaimes,5 Tulia Beltrán Venegas,1 Alba Marina Rueda Olivella,1 Ivan David Lozada-Martinez,2,6 Valmore Bermúdez7 1Department of Health Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia; 2Center for Meta-Research and Scientometrics in Biomedical Sciences, Barranquilla, Colombia; 3Clínica Iberoamérica, Barranquilla, Colombia; 4Clínica El Carmen, Barranquilla, Colombia; 5Facultat de Ciències de la Salut Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain; 6Biomedical Scientometrics and Evidence-Based Research Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia; 7Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, ColombiaCorrespondence: Ivan David Lozada-Martinez, Biomedical Scientometrics and Evidence-Based Research Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Universidad de la Costa, Barranquilla, Colombia, Email [email protected] Valmore Bermúdez, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, Colombia, Email [email protected]: Medical errors represent a critical challenge to global healthcare systems, ranking among the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to explore the evolution, characteristics, and correlation of research on medical errors and global health and research indicators.Methods: A mixed-methods scientometrics study was conducted to analyse publications from 1865 to 2024 on medical errors from five databases. Correlational analyses were performed, focusing on publication trends, geographic and economic disparities, journal metrics, and thematic evolution. Multiple regression assessed relationships between bibliometric metrics and global indicators.Results: Five thousand seven hundred thirty-two publications related to medical errors were analysed. An annual growth rate of 1.49% was documented, with high-income countries contributing 83.32% of publications. The Americas accounted for the highest regional output, while Africa and Southeast Asia showed marginal contributions. Most studies were published in high-impact journals (46% in Q1), but only 22.98% were open access. Thematic analysis revealed a transition from error reporting to mitigation strategies. Correlations showed strong associations between intellectual property fees and publication volume (r²=0.75; p< 0.001), while official development assistance negatively correlated with publication output (r²=− 0.33; p< 0.01). Disability-adjusted life years showed weak correlations with publication volume (r²=0.32; p< 0.01) and journal impact (r²=0.14; p< 0.001).Conclusion: This study highlights significant inequities in global research on medical errors, with high-income countries dominating production. While thematic shifts suggest advancements in the field, the lack of representation from low- and middle-income countries and limited access to open-access publications pose barriers to global applicability.Keywords: medical errors, health services, health care quality indicators, global health, bibliometrics, meta-research

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