Gap of Research to Practice in IC/BPS: A Scientometric Study of Available Evidence

Our main objective is to first characterize the current status of the research field of interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). This is achieved by mapping, analyzing, and sub-analyzing the field with a scientometric approach, which provides insights into future research. In September 2023, the Scopus database was searched without restrictions on language and date. The following search query was used: Bladder* W/5 pain* W/3 syndrome* AND Interstitial* W/3 (Cystitis* OR Cystides) and the Scopus filters were used to exclude short surveys, book chapters, editorials, notes, and guidelines. The author, journal, institution data, keywords, average citation, countries, and sources were transformed using a Biblioshiny tool (A Shiny app for Bibliometrix), accounting for author spelling, institutional naming, and subgrouping variations. The search strategy yielded 1833 studies. The USA was the most cited country, with other countries showing significant growth in recent years. In terms of affiliations, TZU CHI University was the most relevant in this field (n = 154). The most relevant keywords were "female," "interstitial cystitis," "human," "cystitis interstitial," "male," and "cystalgia." The current topics in IC/BPS research are Genome-wide association and Cannabidiols. By understanding the past, scientific gaps, and the direction of the current research, researchers can aim for their research questions and conduct their research more organized. The scientific gaps of IC/BPS can be effectively understood by paying attention to the models used in this research, which are the results of the systemic analysis of the scientific products in this research field.