A produção científica internacional sobre redução de danos: uma análise comparativa entre MEDLINE e LILACS

The objective of this study was to describe and analyze the course of harm reduction (HR) in the countries where it was diffused. I started from the assumption that HR means new way of understanding and intervening in the problems related to drug use. The method consisted in the revision of scientific publications available in the MEDLINE, in the period of 1996 to 2006 and LILACS bases, without timeframe restriction. The analysis of the publications points to the diffusion of strategies and widening of the HR field in several countries, and shows significant differences in their characteristics when compared to countries of central and peripheral capitalism.