Traditional Chinese medicine nursing technology for postpartum rehabilitation: A bibliometric and visualized analysis

This study analyzed published literature on traditional Chinese medicine nursing technology for postpartum rehabilitation using bibliometric methods. The goal was to assess the current state of research, identify emerging research hotspots, and explore future trends, offering valuable insights for ongoing and future studies in this field.

Articles published between 2014 and 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. A visual analysis of the data was performed using VOSviewer (v1.6.20) and CiteSpace (v6.3.R1) software. Various metrics were examined, including the annual publication count, contributions by literature and journals, national and institutional outputs, author co-occurrence, keyword co-occurrence, keyword timelines, and keywords with citation bursts.

As of August 2024, a total of 115 English publications and 2788 Chinese publications were included in the analysis; the highest number of publications was recorded in 2019. Chinese authors and institutions emerged as the primary contributors, whereas England demonstrated significant collaborative efforts. Among all journals, Medicine and Guangming Journal of Chinese Medicine published the most articles in English and Chinese, respectively. High-frequency keywords identified from both English and Chinese publications included "cesarean section," "acupoint massage," and "breastfeeding." Emerging research hotspots focused on "thunder fire moxibustion," "negative emotion," "sleep quality," "Chinese medicine package therapy," and "wrist-ankle acupuncture."

This study comprehensively and objectively summarized the relevant literature on traditional Chinese medicine nursing technology for postpartum rehabilitation. It offers valuable references for both academic research and clinical applications in postpartum care.