Citation Network Analysis of Nurse Staffing Research from the Past Two Decades: 2000–2022

Abstract

Studies have indicated that higher numbers of nurses regarding staffing ensure patient safety and a better practice environment. Using citation analysis, this study visualizes the landscape of nurse staffing research over the last two decades to show the overall publication trends, major contributors, and main research topics. We extracted bibliometric information from PubMed from January 2000 to September 2022. After clustering the network, we analyzed each cluster’s characteristics by keyword. A total of 2167 papers were considered for analysis, and 14 clusters were created. The analysis showed that the number of papers published per year has been increasing. Researchers from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have led this field. As the main clusters in nurse staffing research during the past two decades, the following five research settings were identified: nurse outcome and patient outcome research in acute care hospitals, nurse staffing mandate evaluation research, nursing home research, and school nurse research. The first three clusters accounted for more than 80% of the total number of published papers, and this ratio has not changed in the past 20 years. To further develop nurse staffing research globally, evidence from other geographic areas, such as African and Asian countries, and from long-term care or community settings is necessary.