Trends in application of digital technology in nursing informatics: an integrative bibliometric analysis

Digital technology has led to innovations in healthcare, particularly in the field of nursing informatics. Although challenges such as resistance to technology, insufficient training, and security have been reported, comprehensive bibliometric analyses evaluating research trends and patterns are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to examine trends and patterns in the application of digital technologies to nursing informatics by utilizing an integrative bibliometric analysis.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus for original articles published before 2024. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines, and 409 studies were included. VOSviewer and Excel 2019 were used to analyze the number of publications by journal, year, country, authors, citations, and keywords.

Digital technology research began in 1985 and has increased significantly since 2015. The United States had the highest number of publications, whereas Computers, Informatics, and Nursing had the highest number of publications. Two authors were at the center of the collaboration network. The most frequently used keywords in these studies were virtual reality, nursing, and artificial intelligence. The primary research focus of the top 10 most-cited studies was intervention programs utilizing virtual reality.

This study highlights the growing importance of digital technology in nursing informatics, with research surging since 2015 due to advancements in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and big data. Issues such as non-standardized nursing practices that utilize digital technologies and ethical considerations remain underexamined. Therefore, nursing professionals should focus on developing digital technology nursing standards in diverse nursing contexts, promote global collaboration, and strengthen digital competencies to maximize the benefits of digital innovation in the field of nursing informatics.