Analysis of the global pool of dissertations in disaster medicine (1992–2020)

Abstract

Relevance. The study of the global pool of theses and dissertations in disaster medicine can reflect the general structure of innovative research and will assist in reviewing current scientific literature in this field of knowledge. Intention is to analyze the structure and dynamics of the number of foreign dissertations in disaster medicine and compare them with similar indicators of Russian dissertations. Methodology. The object of study is the global pool of dissertations presented in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global electronic database, Health & Medicine section, for the period 1992-2020 and an array of domestic dissertations in the scientific specialty 05.26.02 “Safety in emergency situations” (medical, biological and psychological sciences) for 1992-2020. The quantitative indicators of foreign and Russian dissertations in emergency medicine were compared. Results and Discussion. The electronic search made it possible to find 28,423 foreign doctoral (PhD) dissertations in the problems of disaster medicine. The polynomial trend with a very high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.97) shows an increase in the annual number of dissertations for the period 1992-2020. The average annual number of dissertations in the period under review was 980 ± 386. Dissertations described general provisions (4.7 %), tasks and organization of the disaster medicine service (8.3 %), forecasting and modeling of the health consequences of emergencies (4.8 %), organization of medical-sanitary support (18.5 %), provision of medical care and treatment of victims (14.9 %), medical control, examination and rehabilitation of rescuers (2.3 %), training of disaster medicine specialists (12.8 %), biological issues (6.2 %), psychiatric and psychological security problems (28.1 %). The general array of dissertations was analyzed by leading countries and universities. Quantity and scope of foreign dissertations on the problems of disaster medicine were compared with those of Russian dissertations over time. Conclusion. More than 95 % of the analyzed pool of disaster medicine dissertations in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database are published in full text. Our study makes it possible to optimize scientific research in the field of disaster medicine and also shows possible approaches to dissertation analysis when preparing own manuscripts.