The global landscape of supportive care research for inflammatory bowel disease in children and adolescents: insights from a bibliometric study

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and adolescents have been steadily increasing worldwide. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis to map the characteristics of publication and global research trends in non-pharmacological supportive care for children and adolescents with IBD. Research data were sourced from Web of Science Core Collection, covering publications from January 2014 to June 2024. Using Cite Space, VOS viewer and SCImago Graphica, we analysed the collaboration network across countries/institutions/authors, co-citation of reference, and co-citation clusters. A total of 835 papers were included, showing an increasing trend in the number of publications in paediatric IBD. The collaboration network analysis revealed that the USA (317) and Harvard University (57) demonstrated the highest productivity, while Assa Amit (20) emerged as the most prolific author. The UK, with a total link strength of 198, showed strong collaborative ties with the US and Netherlands. Research hotspots concentrated on ulcerative colitis, psychosocial impact, quality of life, patient-reported outcome, exclusive enteral nutrition, and transitional care. In addition, research trends mainly focused on nutritional therapy and mental health disorders. Our findings identify psychosocial support, dietary management, and transition care frameworks as critical research priorities that represent key trends and focal points in non-pharmacological supportive care research. Future research should prioritize developing and evaluating multidisciplinary interventions targeting these domains to improve health outcomes for vulnerable paediatric populations.