Mapping the Knowledge Landscape of Public Health Emergency Risk Communication: A Bibliometric Analysis (2010-2025)

Public Health Emergency Risk Communication (PHERC) fulfills a critical function in trust management and behavior guidance, yet a comprehensive and systematic knowledge framework in this field still absence. This study employed bibliometric methods to systematically examine the bibliographic characteristics, knowledge structure, and evolutionary trends in the field of PHERC, aiming to provide evidence-based guidance for future academic research and practical work. A total of 2,325 valid literatures were retrieved and collected from 2010 to 2025 from Web of Science and CNKI database. The collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, and temporal trends were conducted by VOSviewer, and Biblio Vista. The results indicated three distinct phases of publication: steady growth (2010-2018), rapid expansion (2019-2022), and fluctuation period (2023-2025). The USA led in productivity (38.49%) and hold a dominant position in international cooperation. Only 50 authors have published more than five papers on relevant topics, and a large-scale collaboration network has not yet been established. COVID-19 (591 times), health communication (481 times), and public health (326 times) were the most frequently occurring keywords and reflecting the focus areas. Five core thematic clusters were identified, encompassing risk management, community empowerment, information ecosystem governance, trust building, and surveillance policy. This study fills the gap in the knowledge graph analysis of the PHERC field and complements existing research in the broader domain of public health emergency management, which also revealed disparities in global research and patterns of collaboration, underscoring the necessity of promoting equitable development. Future research should prioritize the innovation of digital communication technologies and foster more equitable global cooperation, so as to improve global PHERC capacity.