ReviewThe Lancet regional health. Western Pacific2025
A scoping review of health research in four Pacific Island countries and areas (Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam and Tonga) from 2014 to 2024.
Review in The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Where are the non-sovereign islands in health policy and systems research?BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Navigating evidence-informed decision making for arboviral disease control in Pacific Island countries.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
- The Pacific Way: advancing ethical research governance in the Pacific islands.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Health research capacity remains constrained in Pacific Island Countries. This scoping review examined health research output in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, and Tonga from 2014 to 2024 following the Arksey and O'Malley framework. A total of 752 publications met inclusion criteria, with output increasing markedly after 2020. A total of 447 studies (59%) were from Fiji, 142 (19%) from Guam, 95 (13%) from Tonga, and 68 (9%) from Cook Islands. Most studies described problems or causes, with fewer solution-focused, implementation, and evaluative studies. Majority of studies had international corresponding authors, and only half of studies included local co-authors. Where reported, two thirds had funding from primarily international sources, and local research ethics approval was present in less than half of the studies. These findings highlight concerns about research equity and sustainability, suggesting a need for greater local ownership, domestic funding, and ethical oversight to strengthen health research ecosystems in these countries.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.