Abstract

LICEA DE ARENAS, Judith; ARENAS VARGAS, Miguel; GONZALEZ, Eric  and  ROMERO, Rubén D. Another history of Mexican scientific research: The Mexican Social Security Institute. ACIMED [online]. 2008, vol.17, n.2, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1024-9435.

BACKGROUND: The impoverishment of Mexicans has deepened the gap that separates them from wellbeing. The pathologies of poverty and those of the developed countries coexist. Therefore, scientific research is seen as a possible contribution to the prevention of illnesses. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a metrical exercise using as an object of study the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), the institution that provides healthcare to the majority of the Mexican population to find out its research performance. It is expected that the X-ray obtained will contribute to a diagnosis of the research conducted by the Institute. METHODS: Through the Web of Science the cited articles of the personnel assigned to the Mexican Social Security Institute that were published in the mainstream journals between 1995 and 1999, the last five-year period of the governing party that ruled the country for 70 years, were identified. RESULTS: 581 papers were cite and the rate of annual publication was stable; however citations received were scarce. The most represented disciplines were experimental medicine, endocrinology, general and internal medicine, rheumatology and genetics. CONCLUSIONS: The Mexican Social Security Institute has capacity, competitiveness and stability to conduct research; however the poverty suffered by millions of Mexicans, related to hunger, malnutrition and the consequent lack of health make necessary a change of its orientation

Keywords : Mexico; metrics; health sciences; scientific research; Mexican Social Security Institute.

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