Scientific research dynamics on community-acquired pneumonia: Bibliometric analysis and future perspectives

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization worldwide. This study aimed to provide physicians and researchers with a comprehensive overview of the most influential publications and research trends in CAP.

Research articles and reviews on CAP published in English and indexed in the Web of Science from 1978 to 2023 were analyzed. Network visualization and comprehensive bibliometric analyses of publication output, countries, journals, authors, cited references, and keywords were performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software.

A total of 4141 publications, including 3665 original research articles and 476 reviews, were included in the analysis. Publication output increased after 1991 and showed an overall upward trend, particularly after 2000. The United States, Spain, and China were the most productive countries. Chest published the most articles, whereas Clinical Infectious Diseases received the highest number of citations. Torres A was the most prolific author, whereas Fine MJ was the most cited. The most cited clinical studies published in the past 5 years focused on COVID-19, severe CAP (sCAP), and corticosteroid therapy. Co-citation analysis identified sCAP, healthcare-associated pneumonia, prospective cohort studies, and metagenomic next-generation sequencing as active research clusters. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified sCAP as the largest and most prominent cluster, whereas the other current clusters included atypical pathogens, antibiotic resistance, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and β-lactam monotherapy.

This bibliometric analysis highlights the evolving research landscape of CAP and suggests that future research will increasingly focus on sCAP and its treatment, the identification of rare or emerging pathogens, rapid diagnostic technologies, appropriate initial treatment selection, personalized therapeutic strategies, and vaccination. These findings provide valuable insights into the current research hotspots on CAP and future priorities for researchers and clinicians.