A bibliometric analysis on global eHealth

The Impact of e-Health Literacy on Risk Perception Among University Students

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased public interest in e-health literacy, especially among university students. However, gaps remain in their ability to find and use credible online health information.

PURPOSE

This study explores the effects of public health emergencies on e-health literacy among Chinese university students, aiming to identify influencing factors and propose solutions to improve digital health education.

METHODS

A structured survey using the eHEALS scale and additional questionnaires was administered to 300 students in Northern China. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0, focusing on literacy levels and their determinants.

RESULTS

The pandemic heightened interest in e-health, leading to modest improvements in literacy levels. However, challenges persist, including evaluating the credibility of information and addressing privacy concerns. Apps emerged as the most widely used e-health tools.

DISCUSSION

Findings highlight the importance of targeted health education programs to bridge gaps in e-health literacy and support students in effectively using digital health tools. The results emphasize integrating privacy safeguards and enhancing user trust in e-health systems.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhancing e-health literacy can empower students to make informed health decisions, fostering better self-management and resilience during public health crises.

Bibliometric and visual assessment of research trends in the management of hyperuricemia (HUA)

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the development status and trend of related research in the health management of hyperuricemia and provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment.

METHODS

A bibliometric analysis was conducted on hyperuricemia health management research data from 2000 to 2024 using the Web Science Core Collection database, PubMed, and SINOMED. A total of 789 articles were evaluated for specific characteristics, such as year of publication, journal, author, institution, country/region, reference, and keyword. The VOSviewer was used for co-author, co-occurrence, co-citation, and network visualization. Important sub-topics identified by bibliometric characteristics were discussed and reviewed.

RESULTS

The number of articles published in the last 24 years has generally followed a year-on-year trend, and the total number of papers published is increasing. Over 200 affiliations from 70 countries and regions contributed papers, and PLOS ONE has the highest number of linked publications. Dalbeth N, is the author with the most publications, with an H-index of 17. Hyperuricemia, gout, management, prevalence, allopurinol, risk, and other keywords were often used. Researchers formed mature teams, and the teams' study directions intersect and are comparable. However, these teams demonstrated a lack of communication and coordination.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights research hotspots, global cooperation models, and emerging frontiers in hyperuricemia, focusing on uric acid control, disease screening, health education, and epidemiological investigation in hyperuricemia-associated complications over the past two decades. However, there is still a lack of standardized management processes and systems, and the communication between research teams needs to be enhanced. Key Points • The study analyzed hyperuricemia health management research data from 2000 to 2024 using the Web Science Core Collection database, PubMed, and SINOMED, evaluating 789 articles and discussing key sub-topics using VOSviewer. • Over 200 articles from 70 countries, including PLOS ONE, have been published over the past 24 years, focusing on hyperuricemia, gout, management, prevalence, allopurinol risk, etc. • Our study outlines research hotspots, global cooperation models, and emerging hyperuricemia frontiers, emphasizing the need for standardized management processes and improved communication between research teams.

Provision of Digital Primary Health Care Services: Overview of Reviews

BACKGROUND

Digital health is a growing field, and many digital interventions have been implemented on a large scale since the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly in primary health care (PHC). The development of digital health interventions and their application in PHC are encouraged by the World Health Organization. The increased number of published scientific papers on this topic has resulted in an overwhelming amount of information, but there is no overview of reviews to summarize this evidence.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to provide policy makers, health managers, and researchers with a summary of evidence on digital interventions used in PHC.

METHODS

This overview of reviews searched the Web of Science and MEDLINE databases for systematic and scoping reviews on assessments of digital technologies implemented in PHC published from January 2007 to March 2023. Only reviews that addressed digital interventions whose targets were real patients or health care providers (HCPs) were included.

RESULTS

A total of 236 records were identified from the search strategy, of which 42 (17.8%) full-text papers were selected for analysis, and 18 (7.6%) reviews met the eligibility criteria. In total, 61% (11/18) of the reviews focused their analysis on specific digital health interventions (client-to-provider telemedicine, provider-to-provider telemedicine, health worker decision support systems, systems for tracking patients' health status, client participation and self-care platforms, and provision of education and training to health workers), and 39% (7/18) of the reviews focused on specific topics related to PHC (preventive care, chronic disease management, behavioral health disorders, the COVID-19 pandemic, multicomponent PHC interventions, and care coordination). Most studies in the included reviews agreed on barriers to implementation, such as software and apps developed without involving end users, the lack of training of HCPs and patients in digital technology use, and the lack of reimbursement and billing strategies for remote consultations. However, they showed several mixed results related to health service quality and patients' clinical conditions and behavior changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Research in digital health applied to PHC is still concentrated in high-income countries, mainly in North America and Europe. The mixed results related to health service quality and patients' clinical conditions or behavior changes may have been caused by deficiencies in the process of implementing digital interventions. It is necessary to examine the entire impact pathway and the causal relationship among implementation, health service quality, and clinical condition outcomes to support the spread of digital health in PHC settings.

Digital health implementation in Australia: A scientometric review of the research

Objective

Australia is committed to establishing a digitally enabled healthcare system that fosters innovation, strengthens data capabilities, and establishes a foundation for future digital health reform. This study provides a comprehensive overview of digital health implementation research in Australia, employing scientometric analysis and data visualization. We assess the existing knowledge base, identify key research areas and frontier trends, and explore their implications for healthcare delivery in rural and remote settings.

Methods

A systematic search of the Web of Science Core Collection database was conducted for relevant documents up to December 31, 2023. Analysis of annual growth patterns, journals, institutional and authorship contributions, reference co-citation patterns, and keyword co-occurrence was conducted using scientometrics to create outputs in the form of graphs and tables. Evolutionary analyses were undertaken to delineate the current knowledge base, predominant research themes, and frontier trends in the field.

Results

A total of 196 documents related to digital health implementation in Australia were identified, demonstrating sustained growth since 2019. The evolution of the field is characterized by four distinct phases, with a pronounced focus on telehealth, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Remote health' emerged as a significant area of contemporary interest.

Conclusions

This scientometric study contributes to our understanding of digital health implementation research in Australia. Despite a considerable body of research, there remains a relative paucity of studies focused on implementation in underserved rural and remote areas which arguably stand to benefit the most from digital health advancements. Continued research in this field is crucial to ensure equitable access to the benefits offered by digital health innovations.

Impact of eHealth education to reduce anemia among school-going adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Adolescent girls are highly vulnerable to developing anemia due to reproductive immaturity, poor personal hygiene, and lack of nutritional intake and health education in rural Bangladesh. Digital health technology is a promising tool to overcome barriers and provide appropriate health guidelines. We aim to evaluate eHealth education's impact and changes in adolescent girls' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding anemia. A 1:1 parallel randomized control trial was conducted among school-going adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. A total of 138 anemic (mild and moderate) participants were enrolled. We randomized schools to reduce the health education bias through a simple coin toss technique, then allocated participants to the intervention group (n = 69) and control group (n = 69) by stratified random sampling technique. The intervention group received two online counseling sessions and 8-month eHealth education through mobile phone calls and short message service regarding anemia. The control group received the usual care. The primary endpoint changes the anemic level through changing knowledge, healthy lifestyle behavior, and an iron-rich food dietary plan. Per-protocol analysis will utilize to compare the control and intervention groups using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean, SD) will be employed, and continuous variables will be compared using the t-test/Mann-Whitney test. Two-way analysis of variance will assess outcome variables at baseline, 4 months, and 8 months. The 8-month intervention is designed from May 2022 to February 2023. Participants' age range of 10-14 years was 60.9% in the intervention group and 56.5% in the control group. Among the participants, 89.9% and 88.4% were mild anemic; 11.11 (SD ± 0.80) and 11.06 (SD ± 0.96) were mean hemoglobin in the intervention and control groups, respectively. eHealth education is expected to be an effective way to increase knowledge and healthy behavioral change, which can reduce the anemia burden among adolescent girls.

The 100 most cited articles on trachoma: a bibliometric analysis

OBJECTIVE

Trachoma is the cause of blindness or visual impairment in 1.9 million people. Few bibliometric studies have been carried out, but none explore the characteristics of the 100 most cited articles on trachoma.

METHODS

A keyword-based search without time restriction was performed in September 2022 using the Scopus database. Search keywords include the following: "trachoma; trachome; tracoma; trachomatis." Two authors independently screened the literature and extracted data. The search result was obtained to classify the 100 articles according to their number of citations.

RESULTS

The Top 100 articles were published between 1957 and 2015 with a total of 11,102 citations (range 56-689). The country with the most significant contribution was the USA (n = 56). The Lancet was the most active journal (n = 15). Bailey RL was the author with the highest number of publications (n = 30). The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (n = 26) was the most prominent funding entity. The type of original article was the most published (n = 83), in addition, the most frequent thematic area was prevention (n = 33). The most popular keywords were trachoma (n = 93), chlamydia trachomatis (n = 55), and azithromycin (n = 34).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides new insight into trachoma research, information that may help healthcare providers, researchers, and stakeholders better understand trends and influential contributions. It highlights under-researched areas that could be the basis for future research.

Global Trends and Hotspots on Microglia Associated with Pain from 2002 to 2022: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background

Researchers have made significant progress in microglia associated with pain in recent years. However, more relevant bibliometric analyses are still needed on trends and directions in this field. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive perspective and to predict future directions of pain-related microglia research via bibliometric tools.

Methods

English articles and reviews related with pain and microglia were extracted from the Web of Science core collection (WosCC) database between 2002 to 2022. Bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix R package were used to analyze publication characteristics, countries, authors, institutions, journals, research hotspots, and trend topics.

Results

A total of 2761 articles were included in this analysis. Research on microglia associated with pain has increased significantly over the last two decades. China (n = 1020, 36.94%) and the United States (n = 751, 27.20%) contributed the most in terms of publications and citations, respectively. Kyushu University published the most articles in this field compared to other institutions, and Professor Inoue Kazuhide (n = 54) at this university made outstanding contributions in this field. Molecular Pain (n = 113) was the journal with the most publication, while Journal of Neuroscience had the highest number of citations. According to the authors keywords analysis, the research in this area can be summarized into 7 clusters such as "microglia activation pathways", "pain treatment research", "mental symptoms of chronic pain", and so on.

Conclusion

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of pain-related microglia research in the past two decades. We identified the countries, institutions, scholars, and journals with the highest number of publications and the most influence in the field, and the research trends identified in this paper may provide new insights for future research.

Insight into global research on health literacy and heart diseases: A bibliometric analysis

Background

Health literacy (HL) has shown its important role on reducing the burden of heart diseases. However, no study has provided a comprehensive worldwide view of the data regarding HL and heart diseases. The study aimed to provide insight into: (1) the intellectual structure, (2) research trends, and (3) research gaps on HL and heart diseases; and (4) to explore HL scales commonly utilized in heart studies.

Materials and methods

Studies related to HL and heart diseases were retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. All publications published between 2000 and 2021 were included after conducting keyword searches on "heart diseases" in general or on specific types of heart diseases (e.g., "heart failure") and "health literacy". Bibliometric analyses were carried out using the Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer 1.6.14.

Findings

A total of 388 original research articles and reviews on HL and heart diseases were included in our study. The studies were primarily conducted in the United States and developed countries. A total of 337 studies (86.9%) focused on heart failure (200 studies, 51.5%) and ischemic heart diseases (137 studies, 35.3%). Sixty-two studies (16.0%) focused on other heart diseases (e.g., valvular diseases and rheumatic heart diseases). The number of interventional studies was limited (52 studies, 13.4%) and fluctuated from 2000 to 2021. The most common questionnaires measuring health literacy among patients with heart diseases were the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA), Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), and Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS). Use of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) has become the latest trend among patients with heart diseases.

Conclusion

Health literacy and heart diseases were most often studied in the United States and developed countries. Several HL tools were used; eHEALS has been lately used in this field. These findings suggest the need to conduct more empirical studies on HL and heart diseases in different settings (e.g., developing or poor countries) and with different types of heart diseases (e.g., valvular and rheumatic disorders). Additionally, it is necessary to develop heart disease-specified HL scales for research and practice.

Digital Health Literacy: Bibliometric Analysis

Background

Digital health is growing at a rapid pace, and digital health literacy has attracted increasing attention from the academic community.

Objective

The purposes of this study are to conduct a systematic bibliometric analysis on the field of digital health literacy and to understand the research context and trends in this field.

Methods

Methods: A total of 1955 scientific publications were collected from the Web of Science core collection. Institutional co-operation, journal co-citation, theme bursting, keyword co-occurrence, author co-operation, author co-citation, literature co-citation, and references in the field of digital health literacy were analyzed using the VOSviewer and CiteSpace knowledge mapping tools.

Results

The results demonstrate that the United States has the highest number of publications and citations in this field. The University of California System was first in terms of institutional contributions. The Journal of Medical Internet Research led in the number of publications, citations, and co-citations. Research areas of highly cited articles in the field of digital health literacy mainly include the definition and scale of health literacy, health literacy and health outcomes, health literacy and the digital divide, and the influencing factors of health literacy.

Conclusions

We summarized research progress in the field of digital health literacy and reveal the context, trends, and trending topics of digital health literacy research through statistical analysis and network visualization. We found that digital health literacy has a significant potential to improve health outcomes, bridge the digital divide, and reduce health inequalities. Our work can serve as a fundamental reference and directional guide for future research in this field.