Abstract
BackgroundTraditional, complementary, alternative and integrative medicine (TCAIM) can be described as diverse medical and healthcare interventions, practices, products, or disciplines that are not considered as part of conventional medicine. Inherent in its definition, TCAIMs are comprised of a wide variety of therapies with highly variable safety and effectiveness evidence profiles. Despite this, the use of many TCAIMs is highly prevalent among patients globally. The present study consists of a bibliometric analysis of TCAIM journals.MethodsA single search of all International Standard Serial Number (ISSNs) of all journals categorized as “complementary and alternative medicine” (code 2707) based on the All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) was run on Scopus on April 17, 2021. All publication types were included; no further search limits were applied. The following bibliometric data were collected: number of publications (in total and per year), authors and journals; open access status; journals publishing the highest volume of literature and their impact factors; language, countries, institutional affiliations, and funding sponsors of publications; most productive authors; and highest-cited publications. Trends associated with this subset of publications were identified and presented. Bibliometric indicators of production were calculated, and bibliometric networks were constructed and visualized using the software tool VOSviewer.ResultsA total of 172,466 publications (42,331 open access), were published by 219,680 authors in 143 journals from 1938 to 2021. Since the 1940s, an upward trend with respect to the volume of publications can be observed, with a steep increase observed between the mid-2000s and mid-2010s. The journal that published the largest number of publications was the Journal of Natural Products (n = 15,144). The most productive countries included China (n = 45,860), the United States (n = 29,523), and Germany (n = 10,120); a number of the most common institutional affiliations and funding sponsors also originated from these three countries.ConclusionsThe number of publications collectively published in TCAIM journals follows an upward trend. Given a high prevalence of TCAIM use among patients, increased acceptance of TCAIM among conventional healthcare providers, and growing interest in the research of TCAIM, future work should continue to investigate and track changes in the publication characteristics of the emerging research on this topic.
Highlights
Traditional, complementary, alternative and integrative medicine (TCAIM) can be described as diverse medical and healthcare interventions, practices, products, or disciplines that are not considered as part of conventional medicine
The number of publications collectively published in TCAIM journals follows an upward trend
Complementary and alternative medicine is generally defined as a group of diverse medical and healthcare interventions, practices, products or disciplines that are not considered as part of conventional medicine [1]
Summary
Traditional, complementary, alternative and integrative medicine (TCAIM) can be described as diverse medical and healthcare interventions, practices, products, or disciplines that are not considered as part of conventional medicine. One TCAIM therapy can be highly unrelated to another due to the fact that each originates from a different region in the world, culture, system of traditional medicine, and school of thought [4, 5] Despite these challenges, attempts have been made to categorize TCAIMs. For example, the NCCIH divides TCAIM therapies into two main types: 1) natural products and 2) mind and body practices. The NCCIH divides TCAIM therapies into two main types: 1) natural products and 2) mind and body practices Within the former category, they include therapies such as herbs, vitamins and minerals, and probiotics, while in the latter, they include therapies such as yoga, chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, and meditation, as well as acupuncture, relaxation techniques, tai chi, qi gong, and hypnotherapy, among others [2]. The NCCIH has stated, that some TCAIMs may not fit neatly into either of these two groups, citing many systems of TCAI M including practices of traditional healers, Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, and functional medicine [2]
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