Mapping the research trends and hotspots on lung transplant nursing: insights from bibliometric analysis

Nursing professionals play a crucial role in the rehabilitation of lung transplant patients, and over the past few decades, there have been many reports on this topic. However, a comprehensive analysis of the overarching status and prevailing research trends in lung transplant nursing research has not yet been conducted. Thus, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to clarify the current research trends and predict future research hotspots in this field.

Scientific publications on lung transplant nursing were systematically retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from database establishment to 2024. CiteSpace was used to analyze publication output trends, national and institutional collaborations, journals, authors, co-citations of journals and authors, references, and keyword bursts.

In total, 133 studies focusing on lung transplant nursing were identified. Among the institutions, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE) had the most prolific publication output, and the United States emerged as the leading contributor among the countries. Current research hotspots include perioperative care, postoperative complication monitoring and prevention, and aspects related to enhancing the quality of life of patients. Long-term priorities in this domain involve treatment adherence and psychological health, particularly anxiety.

Presently, lung transplant nursing is in an exploratory phase, characterized by a limited publication volume and overall slow development. Based on the CiteSpace results, we recommend more active collaborations between various countries, institutions, and authors to conduct research related to perioperative care, mental health, and treatment compliance in lung transplantation, to improve the survival and quality of life of patients after lung transplantation.