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

Objective To analyze the research trends and cutting-edge hot spots in the field of multimorbidity in older adults from 2000 to 2023 to provide reference for related research.

Methods We conducted a search in the Web of Science Core Collection database, specifically looking for articles or reviews in English on multimorbidity in older adults published between January 1, 2000 and October 24, 2023. VOSviewer 1.6.18 software was used to extract the contents in the literature and draw the cooperative network diagram of high-producing countries(≥30 articles) and institutions(≥43 articles) as well as the timeline diagram of high-frequency keywords(≥74 occurrences) co-occurrence relationship. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 software was used to co-occur and cluster analyze the information of authors, research institutions and countries. The "bibliometrix" package in R was used to analyze the evolution of keywords in the literature.

Results A total of 2590 documents consisting of 2230 Articles and 360 Reviews were obtained. The worldwide publication count significantly increased since 2000. Among the countries, the United States had the highest number of publications (35.02%, 907/2590) and total citations(31 343 times) in this field. The University of Toronto in Canada had the largest number of articles(2.59%, 67/2590). Jenny Ploeg of McMaster University was recognized as the most prolific author(1.24%, 32/2590). When it came to journals, BMC Geriatrics had the highest amount of literature related to multimorbidity(3.82%, 99/2590). The key areas of research in this field included multimorbidity, older adults, frailty, aging, and polypharmacy. Notably, there was 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 delve into primary health care, comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults with multimorbidities, and maintenance of their overall quality of life.