Mapping Irish Primary Care Research Across the Cancer Continuum: A Scoping Review and Bibliometric Analysis
Benjamin M. Jacob, Sarah Jacob, Brittney Adams, Ahmad Aburezq, Rabwa Ahmed, Aine Harris, Patrick RedmondABSTRACT
Background
The scope of primary care cancer research on the island of Ireland has not been clearly mapped, despite primary care's pivotal role across the cancer care continuum.
Methods
We conducted a systematic search of studies from the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) up until October 2022 and summarized the literature using bibliometric analysis and narrative synthesis. From 3911 screened abstracts, 100 eligible outputs were identified: 60 journal articles, 38 conference abstracts, and 2 doctoral theses. Most papers (92%) were published after 2000.
Results
Research output from NI and the RoI was proportional to population size; only one cross‐border study was identified. Study designs were predominantly comparative observational (51%), with fewer non‐comparative observational (23%), qualitative (23%), and experimental studies (3%). The most frequently studied cancers were cervical, breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal.
Conclusion
This review provides a foundation for strategically directing future primary care cancer research in Ireland.