Trends and Patterns in Electronic Health Record Research (1991–2022): A Bibliometric Analysis of Australian Literature

Abstract

Electronic Heath Records (EHRs) play vital roles in facilitating streamlined service provision and governance across the Australian health system. Given the recent challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an ageing population, health workforce silos, and growing inefficiencies in traditional systems, a detailed historical analysis of the use of EHR research in Australia is necessary. The aim of this study is to examine the trends and patterns in EHR research in Australia over the past three decades by employing bibliometric methods. A total of 951 articles published in 443 sources were included in the bibliometric analysis. The annual growth rate of EHR research in Australia was about 17.1%. Since 2022, the main trending topics in EHR research were COVID-19, opioid usage, and natural language processing. A thematic analysis indicated aged care, clinical decision support systems, cardiovascular disease, drug allergy, and adverse drug reaction as the “hot” themes in EHR research in Australia. This study reveals a significant uptrend in EHR research in Australia, highlighting the evolving intellectual and collaborative landscape of this interdisciplinary field. The data also provide guidance for policymakers and funding institutions in terms of the most significant contributions and key fields of research while also holding public interest.