It
was with great enthusiasm that I received the news concerning the creation of
a new journal by the Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery (SBACV).
Thus I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize a few aspects related
to scientific research and publication that I believe are relevant for our scientific
community.
In
Brazil, surgeons, especially those linked to university hospitals, have been criticized
for publishing too little, much less than colleagues from clinical or basic science
fields. This frequently translates into a great disadvantage for those who wish
to pursue an academic career, since most institutions give evident priority in
their evaluation to professionals who are associated with scientific research
and publication, placing less emphasis on other items, such as extension (assistance)
activities.
University
surgeons come up with a list of excuses to justify their lack of systematic publication
- some valuable, others not. Among the first is the notion that surgeons spend
a great deal of time than handling patient issues, especially scheduling the surgical
procedure and managing postoperative follow-up. There is no doubt concerning this
point. Surgeons, it is said, have less time to dedicate to research, and therefore
to systematic publication. However, by looking at the issue from another perspective,
especially after the implementation of graduate programs, we have learned much,
in addition to having experienced a significant increase in quality that has changed
our view concerning the need to publish.
Why do
we need to publish? First of all, publications ensure that all will
have access to information (epidemiological data available about several
conditions are only available from foreign papers, and we often are
unable to find the numbers for our own country). Second, publishing
creates tradition, consolidating individuals, groups, or institutions.
In addition, publishing may increase the capacity to secure resources,
and it certainly reveals new talents. However, the most important aspect
still refers to the quality of what is published.
Surgeons
must keep this in mind, giving priority to prospective studies, because
this is the only way to amass enough data to ensure that others will
also be able to benefit from the experience of others and compare it
to their own. It is very important to establish inclusion and exclusion
criteria, to predefine outcomes, and to accurately describe results.
Only then does our experience become evidence that is relevant
and useful for practitioners, in addition to making a contribution to
science.
