Global trends and research hotspots in pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a bibliometric analysis (2011–2024)

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic respiratory disorder that is characterized by airflow limitation, currently ranks as the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) serves as a critical component of non-pharmacological COPD management. This study employed bibliometric and visualization methods to analyze research trends in COPD PR, with the goal of providing insights to guide future research. Methods: A suite of bibliometric tools, including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica, and Microsoft Excel 2019, was employed to systematically analyze literature on COPD PR retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) up to 2024. Results: A total of 2,132 articles and reviews related to COPD PR were included. The number of publications in this field has consistently trended upward since 2011. Based on a combination of publication volume and citation count, Australia holds the greatest influence in this domain, with leading institutions such as La Trobe University and Alfred Health producing numerous high-quality publications. Spruit was identified as the most prolific author, and Cox leads in citation impact per publication. The International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ranks first in publication volume on this subject. Conclusions: Bibliometric analysis suggests that future research on COPD PR will focus on emerging areas such as telerehabilitation and personalized rehabilitation protocols.