Frontiers and emerging trends of psychotherapy applications in anesthesiology: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis

Psychological therapy can mitigate preoperative negative emotions in patients and facilitate postoperative recovery, all while avoiding the side effects associated with sedative medications. However, there is currently a dearth of literature on the bibliometric analysis of the application of psychological therapy during the perioperative period of anesthesia. This study aims to assess the scientific achievements and emerging themes related to the application of psychological therapy in the domain of anesthesia.

Retrieve studies on the application of psychological therapy in the field of anesthesia published from 2003 to October 31, 2023, from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Utilize VOS Viewer and CiteSpace to create visual bibliometric maps.

A total of 287 articles were included for analysis. Research on psychological therapy in the field of anesthesia has shown an increasing trend, particularly after 2011. The United States leads in terms of publication volume and collaborations. The Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing is the most prolific journal for publications, with Schreiber KL having the highest H-index. The most common keywords are anesthesia and pain, while aromatherapy has emerged as a newly focused therapy in recent years.

Over the past two decades, psychological therapy has experienced rapid development. The United States has maintained a global leadership position in relevant research, making significant contributions. The focus of research has gradually shifted from the effectiveness of psychological therapy in controlling preoperative patient negativity to the development of various therapy methods and their impact on postoperative patient recovery.