Análise Bibliométrica das assimetrias regionais da produção científica em cirurgia no Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: Medical education, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, plays a crucial role in a country's development, especially in developing nations. Surgical fields are fundamental to the advancement of medical research, directly contributing to the development of new techniques and treatment approaches. Scientific and bibliometric indicators have increasingly attracted interest from the scientific community. They are being progressively used by official agencies as support tools in evaluating productivity and in the formulation of funding policies, research, and technological development. Objective: This dissertation aims to quantitatively and qualitatively assess Brazilian scientific production in the field of Surgery, indexed in the Scopus database via SciVal, between the years 2014 and 2023, with a focus on comparing the five geographic regions of Brazil using bibliometric, collaborative, and contextual parameters. Methodology: A bibliometric review was conducted to characterize and analyze quantitatively and qualitatively the national scientific output in general surgery between 2014 and 2023. Results: The regional concentration of knowledge emerged as one of the most striking findings: the Southeast and South regions lead in both volume of publications and relative impact, as a result of decades of investment, institutional consolidation, and integration into research networks. On the other hand, regions such as the North, Northeast, and Center-West face historical barriers, with lower institutional density and challenges in internationalization. However, specific cases indicate that, with the appropriate environment, it is possible to achieve scientific excellence even outside major centers. Moreover, the results indicated that scientific collaboration—especially at the international level—is still uneven across regions and represents a key factor in increasing both the reach and quality of research output. Conclusion: Brazilian surgical science has centers of excellence and a solid foundation for growth but faces challenges that require systemic and strategic responses. This dissertation contributes to the debate by offering a critical and evidence-based perspective on regional disparities, collaborative patterns, and possible pathways to strengthen scientific output in surgery—and, by extension, in the broader medical field—in Brazil.