Impact of the Number of Dermatologists on Dermatology Biomedical Research: A Canadian Study

BACKGROUND: Fewer dermatologists than other clinical specialists are entering and being retained as physicians in the Canadian medical workforce. Studies suggest that dermatologist numbers may influence skin disease outcomes. No study has questioned whether the number of clinical dermatologists can influence academic productivity. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the correlation of the number of dermatologists with biomedical scientific production in this field from 1996 to 2008 in Canada. METHODS: Canadian dermatology biomedical scientific production from SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) were merged with Canadian Medical Association (CMA) dermatologist demographic data. Linear regression analyses were used to model the relationships. RESULTS: The low growth of dermatologist numbers by 8.16% in Canada from 1996 to 2008 correlates with a small increase in articles by 7.59% published in this subject area during this period. This has reduced the scientific importance of Canadian dermatology in the world. CONCLUSION: The number of dermatologists was a significant predictor of biomedical research production in the field of dermatology. This suggests that specialist availability may be one factor influencing dermatology research and publications.