A cross-country comparison of nursing research outputs in relation to funding: An artificial intelligence-enhanced...

Global nursing research investments aim to improve health outcomes, yet the funding-quality relationship remains poorly understood.

To analyze international nursing research trends (2017-2022) across the 29 most productive countries, examining correlations between declared funding and publication quantity and quality.

AI-enhanced scientometric analysis employed a Python algorithm matching extracted journals for each country's publication to corresponding quartiles (Q1-Q4), using Scimago's 2022 Scopus update. Two quality metrics -the ratio of total citations to total publications (TC/TP) and the proportion of Q1 publications to total publications (Q1/TP)- were correlated. Local Outlier Factor technique enabled outlier detection.

Nursing research demonstrated quadratic growth. The two quality metrics strongly correlated (r = 0.916, p< 0.001). The number of publications declaring funding correlated highly with publication quantity (r = 0.955, p < 0.001), but not with quality (r = -0.077, p = 0.686). The USA led in publication volume, while the UK, and several European nations led in quality. Notable growth occurred in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, South Korea, and Turkey.

Findings suggest that while funding drives publication quantity, quality enhancement requires comprehensive investment strategies, including indirect expenses for institutional research infrastructure and capacity building.