Mobile-based ecological momentary assessment and intervention: bibliometric analysis

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this article was to review existing documents in the field of mobile-based EMA and EMI, provide an overview of current hot topics, and predict future development trends.MethodsWe conducted a bibliometric study on mobile-based EMA and EMI publications that were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Biblioshiny and CiteSpace were utilized to analyze scientific productions, leading sources, authors, affiliations, documents, research hot topics, keywords, and trend topics.ResultsA total of 2222 documents related to EMA and EMI published between 1992 and 2023 were retrieved. In recent years, scholarly publications have generally increased in mobile-based EMA and EMI research, particularly in the last decade. JMIR mHealth and uHealth (n=86), as well as JMIR (n=73), showed the highest number of publications. The United States (n=1038), Germany (n=218) and Netherlands (n=175) were leading countries. Regarding keyword co-occurrence and trend topics analysis, mental health, health behaviors, and feasibility were hot topics in mobile-based EMA and EMI research. Future research trends included using EMA for tailoring EMI, just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAI), and digital phenotyping.ConclusionThis bibliometric study on mobile-based EMA and EMI is a valuable resource for understanding the field’s evolution and future trends. Our analysis indicates that EMA and EMI have great potential in health behaviors and mental health, but implementation should consider feasibility and reactivity issues carefully. Emerging trends include EMA-tailored EMI, JITAI, and digital phenotyping. In the future, strengthening multidisciplinary cooperation will be necessary to promote the continued development of the field.