Bibliographic Analysis of Postgraduate Thesis Studies on Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide perspective for those who will study Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) by a bibliographic analysis of postgraduate theses on disease. Materials and methods: The study group of the research consisted of 80 postgraduate theses written in Türkiye and indexed in the Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center database between January 1, 2000 and April 20, 2022, with the keywords 'Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever' and 'CCHF'. Content analysis and descriptive analysis (frequency analysis) methods were used together in the study. SPSS was used to analyze the study's data and create graphics. The general characteristics of the categorical groups were summarized as numbers and percentages. The theses are examined under six sub-headings: year, institution, departments, thesis level samples, research subjects, and written language. Results: Looking at the distribution by years; the largest number of theses was published between 2014 and 2017 years. Theses of 77 (96%) were written at university and three (4%) at Ankara Training and Research Hospital. Sivas Cumhuriyet University was the institution that produced the most theses (30%). The highest number of theses were at the level of specialization in medicine (45%). In the content analysis, clinical research studies (76%) were the most and only two of them were about the treatment and vaccine. The dominant writing language was Turkish (95%). Conclusion: According to the content of the theses, the number of studies on the pathogenesis and clinic of the disease draws attention, while only a few theses were written about the treatment and vaccine. The theses on CCHF, which is a health problem, especially for the people of Central Anatolia, need to be increased both in content and numerically.