A Bibliometric Analysis of the Global Research on Multimorbidity in Older Adults From 2000 to 2023

Objective This study aims to analyze the research trends and cutting-edge hot spots in the field of multimorbidity in older adults from 2000 to 2023. Methods We conducted a search in the Web of Science Core Collection database, specifically looking for articles or reviews in English literature on multimorbidity in older adults published between January 1, 2000, and October 24, 2023. VOSviewer 1.6.18 software was used to extract the content in the literature and to draw the cooperative network diagram of countries(regions) and institutions and the timeline diagram of keyword co-occurrence relationship. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 software was used to co-occur and cluster analyse the information of authors, research institutions and countries(regions). The "bibliometrix" package in R was used to analyse the evolution of keywords in the literature. Results A total of 2590 documents were obtained, consisting of 2230 Articles and 360 Reviews. The worldwide publication count has significantly increased since 2000. Among the countries(regions), the United States has the highest number of publications (907 articles, accounting for 35.02% of the total) and total citations (31,343 times) in this field. In terms of institutions, the University of Toronto stands out with 67 articles (2.59%) as the top contributor. McMaster University's author, Jenny Ploeg is recognized as the most prolific authors, having published 32 articles (1.24%). When it comes to journals, BMC Geriatrics has the highest amount of literature related to multimorbidity (99 articles). The key areas of research in this field include multimorbidity, older adults, frailty, aging, and polypharmacy. Notably, there is growing interest in studying the relationship between multimorbidity and aging in older adults, as well as the impact of frailty and polypharmacy on multimorbidities. Conclusions In recent years, research on multimorbidities in the elderly has primarily centered around examining the correlation between comorbidities and aging, as well as exploring the impact of frailty and polypharmacy on individuals with multimorbidities. Future research could potentially delve into the significance of primary health care and comprehensive geriatric assessment in effectively managing comorbidities among older adults, while also emphasizing the importance of maintaining their overall quality of life.