Ten-year analysis of publications by Canadian pharmacists

Background: Scientific publication by pharmacists enhances professional practices, disseminates knowledge, and fosters academic development. The main objective was to describe a 10-year analysis of scientific publications by hospital pharmacists from Quebec. Methods: Eligible publications included articles in indexed or non-indexed journals, abstracts presented at conferences, and books. The publications were identified through various sources, such as the directors of pharmacy departments and a provincial website. Publications were described according to various parameters, and trends per year were evaluated. A Student's t-test was used for comparison. Results: A total of 2656 publications were identified, consisting of 1349 articles, 1260 abstracts, and 47 books. Two-thirds (836/1349) of publications were published in indexed journals. Most publications were from a university-affiliated institution (94.7%; 2515/2656) and conducted in a hospital setting (89.0%; 950/1068). Most consisted of evaluative research (66.6%; 1769/2656). Infectious diseases were the most frequent theme (20.6%; 323/1569). The mean number of authors per publication increased from 5.1 ± 3.2 to 7.3 ± 4.5 and was higher in indexed journals (7.4 ± 5.1) compared with non-indexed journals (4.3 ± 3.1) (p < 0.0001). The total number of publications per year was constant. Discussion: Most publications were affiliated with a university and relevant to a hospital setting. Future work will be done to facilitate the identification of publications by pharmacists in other settings. Conclusion: This structured longitudinal review of publications by pharmacists in Quebec revealed that publication activity remained constant over a 10-year period. Hospital pharmacy practice research needs to be further facilitated outside of an academic setting.