Trends in awareness of rational drug use in healthcare: A scientific perspective

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the research trends in the field of rational drug use in healthcare published in the Web of Science database, the most frequently studied topics, the concepts and keywords used, the most frequently published and cited authors, journals, universities, countries and their scientific collaboration networks. A total of 438 research articles were included in the study based on the identified keywords. Analyses were conducted in the R programming language (using the bibliometrix package and Biblioshiny via RStudio). The findings indicate that research on rational drug use gained momentum, particularly after 2009, with citations peaking in 2016. Countries such as Brazil, China, and India, journals such as Revista de Saude Publica, BMC Health Services Research, Frontiers in Pharmacology, and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal University of Minas Gerais are leading the way in production, while Türkiye has made limited contributions to the field. Thematic analysis revealed that concepts such as care, health, medicines, resistance, and management were prominent. Keyword trends reveal increased interest in concepts such as drug use indicators, antimicrobial resistance, rational use, information, and education. Overall, this study holistically analyzed the intellectual structure, thematic orientations, and research gaps of the literature on rational drug use and offered strategic directions for future research.