Peruvian contributions to scientific publications on experimental research against COVID-19: a systematic review

Abstract

Background One of the countries most adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak was Peru. Worldwide scientific knowledge creation has significantly grown because of this pandemic. This systematic study aims to examine several facets of Peru’s experimental scientific production concerning COVID-19. Methods Between December 2019 and June 2022, searches were made in the PubMed database for experimental scientific articles created in Peruvian institutions. Data were extracted and analyzed on the type of biomedical research, the study’s applicability, the thematic area and specific thematic, journal impact factor and quartile, funding, grants, and institution of affiliation for the first and correspondence authors. Results The systematic review resulted in nine studies that met the requirements. The results revealed that Peru needs to promote policies to boost research funding and the number of researchers to produce information that will be useful for managing diseases in the future. Yet, despite the funding provided by national organizations like National Council for Science, Technology, and Technological Innovation (CONCYTEC), there were few publications and little international collaboration. The studies that have been published focus mostly on applied research in the areas of diagnostics, sanitary products, and treatment and transmission, and they have great visibility because they are indexed in Q1 journals. Conclusions This thorough study revealed Peru’s inadequate reaction to COVID-19 regarding experimental scientific research. Peruvian authorities should think about supporting the required policies to boost the number of researchers and financial aid to produce information that may be utilized to manage potential new diseases in the future. Inplasy registration INPLASY202340080 (23/04/2023).