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Disease burden and the advancement of biomedical knowledge

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Abstract

Despite the importance and magnitude of biomedical research, little is known about its development and responsiveness to current health needs. Herein, we characterized the evolution of disease specific biomedical research and assess the alignment of research and translational efforts with disease burden. Publication patterns for approximately 2700 diseases indicated a fluid landscape of modern biomedical interests. In studying a subset of diseases with available data, overall measures of disease burden explained a large fraction of publication variance but only a small portion of NIH funding variance. In addition, discrete measures of mortality and morbidity differentially impacted NIH funding levels, research efforts, and the number of clinical trials in the US. Our findings not only scrutinize the relevance of our current biomedical enterprise, but may also serve as a resource for fostering strategies that adequately prepare the scientific community to address future health needs and promote accountability in the allocation of resources.

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Abbreviations

NIH:

National Institute of Health

MeSH:

Medical Subject Heading

DALY:

Disability-adjusted life year

YLL:

Years of life lost

YLD:

Years lived with disability

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Author contributions

D.H., M.E. and A.H. collected data, analyzed data, and wrote the paper. D.H. designed the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    David Hsiehchen

  2. Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Magdalena Espinoza

  3. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Antony Hsieh

Authors
  1. David Hsiehchen
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  2. Magdalena Espinoza
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  3. Antony Hsieh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Hsiehchen.

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Hsiehchen, D., Espinoza, M. & Hsieh, A. Disease burden and the advancement of biomedical knowledge. Scientometrics 110, 321–333 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2169-x

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