A Bibliometric Analysis of the Development of Global Research on Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team From 2000 to 2023

Objective To examine the global research trends and emerging focal points in the field ofgeriatric interdisciplinary team (GIT) from 2000 to 2023, so as to offer insights and reference for related research in China.

Methods English literature related to GIT published from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2023 were searched in the Web of Science database. The literature information was extracted using VOSviewer 1.6.18 software to create a cooperation network diagram highlighting high-producing countries/regions and research institutions, as well as a high-frequency keyword table. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 software was used to analyze the co-occurrence and clustering of authors, research institutions, countries/regions, etc., and the "bibliometrix" package of R was used to analyze the characteristics of high-frequency keywords in the literature.

Results A total of 965 GIT-related documents including 921 original articles and 44 reviews were gathered. There was a noticeable rise in annual publications over time. The United States led in publication quantity (357 articles, 37.0%) and total citations (8656). The University of Michigan was highlighted as the top research institution with 27 articles (2.8%). Author Johan Flamaing from the University of Leuven in Belgium had the highest output with 12 articles (1.2%) and the highest co-citation frequency(163 times). The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society had the highest number of GIT -related publications with 72 articles (7.5%). Collaboration in this field mainly involved authors and institutions from developed countries, displaying distinct geographical patterns. Key themes included elderly (346 times), frailty (71 times), geriatric assessment (68 times), comprehensive geriatric assessment (60 times), and hip fractures (48 times).

Conclusions In the last two decades, research on GIT has garnered significant attention within the discipline. Developed countries, particularly the United States, have taken a leading role in this field. Presently, GIT research is centered on conducting comprehensive geriatric assessments and implementing corresponding interventions for elderly patients with frailty and hip fractures. Additionally, research is focused on GIT interventions for addressing potentially inappropriate medication use and preventing falls in the elderly, as well as managing elderly patients with tumors, dementia, and delirium. The exploration of interventions remains a key area of interest in current research. In the future, there is potential for conducting more high-quality qualitative research related to GIT interventions for elderly patients receiving long-term care or home care, as well as for enhancing geriatric medicine teaching in GIT.