Bibliometric analysis of productivity and keyword trends of articles on physical therapy and aging (1990-2014)

Abstract

IntroductionThe increase in population longevity has led the subject of ageing to take an important role in research and innovation policies. Considerable efforts have been made worldwide to promote research on physiotherapy and ageing. Therefore, applying bibliometric measures can be useful to identify emerging and innovative scientific indicators. This study identifies productivity and topic trends in physiotherapy in ageing and the main publishing authors, institutions, and countries.MethodsA bibliometric analysis was applied in original articles published on the Science Citation Index Expanded of Web of Science Core Collection (1990–2014). Bibliometric indicators were obtained by using specific bibliometric software. Pearsons’ correlation coefficient (r) was applied for correlations; statistical significance was considered for <i>p</i> < 0.01.ResultsOverall, 2237 original articles were included. Topic trends show an initial focus on illness and evolve towards the study of prevention. Authors and institutions increased productivity and citation. The most productive country was the United States, and there was a significant correlation between productivity and gross domestic product (<i>p</i> < 0.01). No statistically significant relationship was observed between productivity and the countries’ aged population.ConclusionsProductivity increased, with a greater scientific interest in prevention. The published research was mainly related to wealthy and developed countries.