Knowledge Domain and Emerging Trends in Internet-based diagnosis and treatment services：A Scientometric Review Based on CiteSpace V Analysis

Background: In the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Internet-based diagnosis and treatment services offer a promising technological avenue for effective healthcare delivery. However, there remains a scarcity of bibliometric analyses on Internet-based diagnosis and treatment services within the healthcare domain. This study aims to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive examination of research advancements, highlighting prevalent themes, and delineating emerging trends in Internet-based diagnosis and treatment research using CiteSpace V. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) was utilized to gather literature on Internet-based diagnosis and treatment within the healthcare sector spanning from 2001 to 2021. CiteSpace V facilitated keyword analysis, created dual-map overlays of journals, generated timeline views of co-cited references, and analyzed literature information. This encompassed variables such as involved countries and institutions, journals publishing relevant research, authors and cited authors, cited references, highly cited works, H-index, average citations, prevalent subjects of interest, and emerging frontiers in the field. Results: WoSCC identified a total of 1259 papers on Internet-based diagnosis and treatment for bibliometric analysis. Annual publications generally exhibited an upward trend. The United States contributed the most publications (465 papers) and the highest number of highly cited papers (9). Poland had the highest average citations per item (42.12). Gerhard Andersson emerged as the most influential author, with 16 publications and a co-citation count of 216. The six primary topics in Internet-based diagnosis and treatment services were health anxiety, randomized controlled trials, IoT platforms, health-related quality, Chinese men, and Internet gaming disorder. The eight emerging topics were medical devices, artificial intelligence, health-related quality, breast cancer, prostate cancer, patient care, treatment decisions, and HIV. With the development of Internet-based diagnosis and treatment technology, major ongoing research trends include the deep application of artificial intelligence in the medical field, enhancing patient satisfaction in clinical practice, improving health-related quality, and treating breast cancer patients. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive examination of Internet-based diagnosis and treatment services within the healthcare sector, offering valuable insights that provide significant guidance for future development in the field.