Clinical and Research Trends in Adult Acupressure Randomized Controlled Trials: A Scoping and Bibliometric Review

Acupressure has gained increasing attention as a noninvasive, low-risk, and cost-effective complementary intervention to address persistent symptoms such as pain, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbances among adults. Although the volume of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating acupressure has grown substantially, an integrated synthesis that combines clinical evidence mapping with bibliometric characterization remains limited. This study aimed to conduct an integrated scoping review and bibliometric analysis of RCTs on acupressure interventions among adults in order to map the scope of clinical evidence and identify publication trends, thematic concentrations, and research collaboration patterns.

This integrated scoping review was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews reporting guideline. RCTs published between 2020 and 2025 were retrieved from the Scopus database using Population-Concept-Context (PCC) eligibility criteria. The included studies involved adults aged 18 years or older who received acupressure interventions in clinical or health care settings. Data extraction captured both clinical characteristics and bibliometric indicators. Descriptive synthesis was integrated with bibliometric analyses of annual publication trends, subject areas, geographic distribution, author productivity, collaboration networks, and keyword co-occurrence.

A total of 303 RCTs were included. Publication output increased steadily, with a notable surge after 2022. Most studies were indexed within Medicine and Nursing. China, Iran, and the United States were the most productive countries, while international collaboration remained limited. Thematic analysis revealed that pain and musculoskeletal conditions were the dominant focuses, closely linked to quality-of-life outcomes. Psychological symptoms and sleep disturbances formed a strongly interconnected cluster, alongside emerging applications in women's health and chronic disease management.

The evidence base for adult acupressure has expanded rapidly and demonstrates increasing thematic coherence. Future research should prioritize broader collaboration, diversified clinical applications, and implementation-oriented studies to enhance the translation of findings into practice.