Analysis of the Global Situation of COVID-19 Research Based on Bibliometrics

Abstract

Background: With the rapid worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have contributed several important advancements. The WHO and countries with severe outbreaks have developed Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines. Here, we analyze the current transformation and application of scientific research to global epidemic prevention and control. Methods: With a bibliometric clustering algorithm, we described and analyzed current COVID-19 research from the perspectives of international cooperation, interdisciplinary cooperation, and research hotspots. Using the Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines of the WHO, the United States and China as examples, we assess and compare diagnosis and treatment methods and evaluate the transformation of scientific results from basic research to application. Scientific research results not yet incorporated into these guide lines are summarized to encourage updating and improvement by applying scientific research to prevention and control. Findings: COVID-19 research has fostered interdisciplinary cooperative research, and the current results are mainly concentrated on virus origin, epidemiological characteristics, clinical research, and diagnosis and treatment methods. These results provide strong support for treatment plan formulation. Due to the ongoing publication of new research, Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines are constantly improving. Comparison of the medical guidelines from the WHO, the United States, and China shows common references and different emphases. Some of the contents lack scientific support, research gaps remain, and some results have not yet been incorporated into the guidelines. Interpretation: The current research is still in the preliminary exploration stage, and there are some problems, such as weak international cooperation, unbalanced interdisciplinary cooperation, and lack of coordination between research and application. Therefore, countries around the world need to improve the International Public Health Emergency Management System and prepare for major public health emergencies in the future. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2019M662373), The Spatiotemporal Epidemiology of COVID-19 (No.2020SFXGFY02-2). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.