Visualizing the knowledge structure of medication-adherence research: A bibliometric analysis (1997-2016)

This study involves a bibliometric analysis of the medication-adherence research and covers publications from 1997 to 2016. A database of 19 621 publications and 335 208 references from the Web of Science was investigated using the CiteSpace software. Some interesting findings were obtained. First, the most significant developments and progress in the medication-adherence research have occurred in North America and Europe. Second, Osterberg L. and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) are the most cited author and journal, respectively, with the strongest academic influence. Third, the existing studies on medication adherence primarily focus on pharmacology/pharmacy, psychiatry, public environmental occupational health, and general internal medicine. Fourth, research hotspots showed a diversifying trend and increasingly covered chronic diseases. Moreover, the topic of integrating formal outcome evaluations into adherence interventions is one long-term research hotspot. In addition, the research frontiers mainly focus on medication adherence for HIV/AIDS patients, especially active antiretroviral therapy. Finally, the evolution of the medication-adherence research has occurred in approximately three stages: The first stage involved the introduction of the term "compliance" into medicine, then the primary focus shifted to patient adherence to HIV/AIDS medication, and the final stage has involved a diversifying trend with more diseases and methods for measuring adherence being researched in the current stage. Furthermore, because of an aging population and a disease spectrum change in the current phase, the focus of medication-adherence research has gradually shifted from infectious diseases to chronic diseases.