Research status and hotspots of the primary health care for chronic disease: A bibliometric and visualized analysis

BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the global research trends, hotspots, and core characteristics of primary health care for chronic diseases from 2014 to 2024 via bibliometric methods, providing a comprehensive reference for scholars, policymakers, and public health practitioners. METHODS: We retrieved relevant publications from the Web of Science Core Collection and Science Citation Index Expanded databases covering 2014 to 2024, and included 3435 valid English articles and reviews after screening. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to analyze publication output, geographical distribution, institutions, journals, authors, co-cited references, and keyword co-occurrence clustering. RESULTS: Annual publications showed a steady growth trend. The United States was the leading contributing country, the University of Toronto ranked as the most productive institution, and BMJ Open published the most relevant papers. The most cited article by De Onis M (2016) had a global citation score of 665. Keyword clustering identified 2 core themes: chronic disease epidemiology and the effectiveness of primary care management models. CONCLUSIONS: This review clarifies the global research status, core contributors, and key themes in this field. Future research will focus on innovative management strategies, societal participation, and internet technology integration. The findings provide evidence-based insights for decision-making to reduce chronic disease incidence and improve patient outcomes and health-related quality of life.