Trend of Research on the Frail Older Adults: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively and comprehensively analyze the research trends on the lifestyle of the frail elderly through a bibliometric approach. The Web of Science database was used for analysis, and the number of published papers and research fields trends were analyzed by year. Visualization maps based on network data were created using VOSviewer software (version 1.6.17), and journal, country/region, institution, keyword, and cluster analysis were performed. A total of 2,456 papers were searched from 1992 to 2021. The number of published papers by year tended to increase, and the most active research was conducted on this research topic in the field of Geriatrics Gerontology. BMC Geriatrics published the most papers. State and institutions have conducted active research in the United States and the University of Pittsburgh, respectively. The top five keywords based on frequency were health (481 times), mortality (438 times), older-adults (376 times), risk (312 times), and adults (297 times), and were divided into a total of five clusters. Through the results of this study, it is hoped that it will provide a basis for the importance of intervention for the frail elderly and help plan appropriate research directions and interventions.