Thirty years of research on traumatic brain injury rehabilitation: a bibliometric study

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern with far-reaching consequences on individuals' lives. Despite the abundance of works published on TBI rehabilitation, few studies have bibliometrically analyzed the published TBI rehabilitation research. This study aims to characterize current international trends and global productivity by analyzing articles on TBI rehabilitation using bibliometric approaches and visualization methods. MethodsWe conducted a bibliometric analysis of data retrieved and extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database to examine the evolution and thematic trends in TBI rehabilitation research up until December 31, 2022. The specific characteristics of the research articles on TBI rehabilitation were evaluated, such as publication year, countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, research fields, references, and keywords. ResultsOur analysis identified 5,541 research articles on TBI rehabilitation and observed a progressive increase in publications and citations over the years. The United States (US, 2,833, 51.13%), Australia (727, 13.12%), and Canada (525, 9.47%) were the most prolific countries/regions. The University of Washington (226, 4.08%) and Hammond FM (114, 2.06%) were the most productive institution and author, respectively. The top three productive journals were Brain Injury (862; 15.56%), Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (630; 11.37%), and Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (405, 7.31%). The most frequent research fields were Rehabilitation, Neurosciences, and Clinical Neurology. Co-citation references primarily addressed outcome assessment, community integration and TBI management, and injury chronicity and sequelae have gained more attention in recent years. Mild TBI, outcome, stroke and children were the commonly used keywords. Additionally, the analysis unveiled emerging research frontiers, including return to work, disorder of consciousness, veterans, mild TBI, pediatric, executive function and acquired brain injury. ConclusionThis study provides valuable insights into the current state of TBI rehabilitation research, which has experienced a rapid increase in attention and exponential growth in publications and citations in the last three decades. TBI rehabilitation research is characterized by its multi-disciplinary approach, involving fields such as Rehabilitation, Neurosciences, and Clinical Neurology. The analysis revealed emerging research subjects that could inform future research directions.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the international trends and global productivity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation research through bibliometric approaches and visualization methods. The results show that TBI rehabilitation research has gained increasing attention and has experienced significant growth in publications and citations in the past three decades. The research is characterized by its multidisciplinary approach, involving fields such as rehabilitation, neurosciences, and clinical neurology. The analysis also reveals emerging research subjects that could inform future research directions.