Mobile Health in Nursing Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Objectives: In this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to analyze the structure of publications on mobile health in the nursing field. Methods: We collected data on December 7, 2023, from the Web of Science database. The analysis was conducted using VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix R package. Results: The search strategy identified 434 documents on mobile health in nursing, authored by 1,802 researchers from 54 countries, and published across 94 journals between 2008 and 2023. We identified several key trends: (1) a significant growth, especially during the pandemic; (2) major contributions predominantly from scholars in a limited number of countries; (3) limited collaboration among countries, institutions, and authors; (4) a focus on self-management for people with various conditions; and (5) an increasing emphasis on high-quality evidence, with a notable presence of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews/meta-analyses in the field. Conclusions: Publications on mobile health in the nursing field, while growing, are still limited in number. Future research should focus on fostering greater collaboration among institutions and authors to expand this field. Furthermore, the trend analysis highlights a shift towards rigorous research methods, emphasizing the importance of reliable outcomes in nursing mobile health.