Trends and current topics in child and family-centered care research: A bibliometric analysis and visual mapping

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the developmental trends and research focus of the child and family-centered care literature through a bibliometric analysis of articles published between 1990 and 2023. The bibliometric analysis method was used in the study. Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases. Bibliometric analysis and visualization were conducted using the R language, along with the bibliometrix and openxlsx libraries and the biblioshiny interface. The study included citation, co-occurrence, co-authorship, co-word analysis, and trend topic analysis. Between 1990 and 2023, a total of 1.613 publications related to child and family-centered care were published. Of these publications, 1.598 were original research articles, and the majority (%95) were written in English. The United States was the country with the highest number of publications and the most co-authorship collaborations. Collaborating countries included Canada, Brazil, Iran. Journal of Pediatric Nursing was the most prolific journal (n=149). The author with the highest number of publications on the topic was Shields (n=23). The most cited works related to child and family-centered care were by Gorski (2021), Kerr (2002), and Snow (2009). The institution producing the most publications on the topic was McGill University. In trend topic analysis, key terms such as ‘‘family-centered care’’, ‘‘nursing’’, ‘‘parents’’, ‘‘child’’, and ‘‘child-centered care’’ emerged.

Child- and family-centered care research is widespread in developed countries but lacks interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly outside pediatric intensive care units. Future studies should promote co-authorship and international cooperation, providing healthcare professionals and researchers with insights into unexplored areas and opportunities for collaboration.