Transforming Postoperative Care Into Mobile Health Trends and Research Directions: A Bibliometric Analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• Patient Care Technology

Background:

• Mobile applications are increasingly integrated into healthcare.
• Postoperative patient care is a key area for digital health interventions.
• Understanding research trends is crucial for advancing mHealth in this field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify current themes and research trends in mobile applications for postoperative patient care.
• To analyze the bibliometric data of publications in this domain.
• To forecast future research directions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted using the Web of Science database.
• Bibliometric and descriptive analyses were performed on 108 articles.
• Data visualization tools like VOSviewer and RStudio Bibliometrix were utilized.

Main Results:

• Publication in this field shows a 22.51% annual growth rate, with most research concentrated in the last 5 years.
• Key terms include mHealth, telemedicine, and eHealth, with leading contributions from the United States.
• Journals in health, surgery, nursing, and informatics are primary dissemination channels.

Conclusions:

• Mobile applications in postoperative care empower patients, improve outcomes, and increase healthcare efficiency.
• The field is experiencing substantial growth, indicating its increasing importance.
• Further research is essential to optimize the efficacy and usability of mHealth applications in postoperative patient care.