Scientific production in bioethics in Spain through MEDLINE.

OBJECTIVE To describe Spain's scientific production in the field of bioethics from 1966 to 2003. METHODS Manuscripts published by Spanish authors between 1966 and 2003 and containing key word references to bioethics, ethics, and 22 other related terms were retrieved from the Medline database. RESULTS 858 documents were selected: 78 (9.1%) were published between 1966 and 1983, 163 (19%) between 1984 and 1993, and 617 (71.9%) between 1994 and 2003. The main subject areas treated were laws and rights (15.4%) and research and ethics committees (13.1%). The last of these periods witnessed an increase in publications on genetics and human cloning and a decrease in those treating abortion. Institutional affiliations referred mainly to universities (38.9%) and hospitals (38.5%). CONCLUSIONS There was a progressive increase in the number of scientific publications on bioethics by Spanish authors during the study period.