An analysis, via a bibliometric approach, was conducted on numerous research publications related to infectious disease nursing in China. The study aimed to grasp the current state of infectious disease research in nursing while projecting future trends. This examination has been essential in understanding the intricate complexities of the field and its constant evolution. The fundamental focus of the analysis was mainly on the different aspects of infectious disease in nursing and efforts towards infection control.
The researchers used the CiteSpace software to conduct bibliometric analysis on key pieces of literature on infectious disease in nursing traced from the establishment of the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, and Wanfang Database until May 10, 2021. A cluster analysis was performed on key words to gain insights into trends and focal points.
It was observed from the studies that Chinese research on infectious disease nursing was in sync with clinical realities and had undergone rapid evolution. Currently, research focusing on infectious disease nursing and infection control is most prevalent. Future investigations will further broaden the depth and breadth of research, concentrating on infection control, quality nursing, to improve the scope of the research.
The study uncovered that the number of publications on this topic has conjointly been on an increasing course, with a peak reached in 2010. There were 324 studies funded by scientific research grants, primarily originating from provincial-level fund initiatives. Among all the sources, ‘Nursing Research’ emerged as the periodical with the greatest number of published articles on the subject.
In conclusion, this comprehensive study of infectious disease research in nursing paints a crucial picture of the current state of the field. Its findings are valuable not just for current practitioners and researchers in the field, but also for those seeking to contribute to its development in the future.