Bibliometric analysis of articles published by scholars working in hospital management field among 12 top universities in China.

Abstract Background Research on hospital management is essential for enhancing healthcare systems and optimizing the utilization of scarce medical resources. There are, however, few publications that give a comprehensive overview of the status of research in this field in China. By using bibliometric analysis, this study aims to pinpoint research hotspots and trends among Chinese scholars working in the hospital management administration. Methods Chinese academics served in 12 prestigious universities in the field of hospital management were included. The original articles written in English and published by them between January 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2022 on the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database were retrieved. After removing duplicates and wrongly included studies, the bibliometric analysis methods in Biblioshiny were performed to further analyze and visualize the publications. A variety of sources including paper quantities, journals, institutions, authors, keywords, collaboration, research subjects and thematic maps were represented to pinpoint the hotspots and trends of research in the field of hospital management in China. Results A total of 1022 original articles published by 67 scholars in the field of hospital management in China’s top 12 universities were included, with average annual growth of 21.64%. International collaboration was on the rise, with close ties to the United States, Germany, and Australia. Research has primarily concentrated on disease diagnosis, treatment methodologies, and health policy during the past 5 years. Additionally, due to the ongoing Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, pertinent studies like telemedicine have surged dramatically. Conclusions This study revealed that the quantities of publications increased rapidly, and the majority of these studies focused on epidemiology and healthcare system. To facilitate China's healthcare system evolution and to improve its effectiveness, more resources and efforts should be put into studies in the domain of hospital management, which are still insufficient and lack high-quality publications.