Research Hotspots and Trends in Smart Health and Aging Care for the Elderly: A Literature Review Analysis Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer

This study presents a bibliometric analysis of smart health and elderly care to evaluate its research status, trends, and future directions. We analysed 4,828 articles from Web of Science and 109 from CNKI published from 2015 to 2025 using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. The analysis covers publication trends, co-authorship, institutional and author distribution, journal sources, co-cited literature, keyword co-occurrence and clustering, and emerging terms. WOS literature focuses on technology applications, interventions and ethical reflections, while CNKI literature emphasises policy and industry perspectives. Shared interests include humanistic concerns and digital equity. Future research should advance theory, methodology, and development pathways. This review provides insights for interdisciplinary collaboration and the sustainable development of smart health and elderly care.