ReviewAdvances in medical education and practice2026
Mapping Biomedical Engineering Education and Research in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Bibliometric and Systematic Analysis.
Review in Advances in medical education and practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Biomedical engineering (BME) education is critical to the growth of engineering-driven healthcare entrepreneurs and the enhancement of health systems globally. This study examines the evolution of BME education research over the past 20 years, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), using a mixed-methods approach that includes bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review. Between 2000 and 2025, there were almost 370,000 BME-related publications indexed in PubMed alone. Bibliometric data indicates a large global growth, mostly because of advances in artificial intelligence and digital health. However, compared to major producers like the US and China, SSA is notably underrepresented, and African contributions account for a very small percentage of overall output. These differences are further contextualized by the systematic review of literature that is indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Important findings include chronic financing constraints, restricted growth of specialized sub-disciplines, poor infrastructure, and inconsistent research productivity across SSA nations. SSA suffers structural obstacles that limit academic progress and technical advancement, in contrast to technologically advanced regions that are distinguished by robust research capability, innovation ecosystems, and sophisticated medical device development. The study emphasizes the critical need for improved policy frameworks, long-term funding, the growth of research capacity, and the updating of BME teaching and learning methodologies. By filling these gaps, stakeholders will be able to promote long-term sectoral growth and inclusive innovation, which will ultimately align clinical practice, technological advancement, and societal demands in SSA and other low- and middle-income settings.
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.