Global research progress in pharmacy education

Abstract

Introduction: Bibliometric and visualization analyses are used to quantitatively assess and graphically display the current status, patterns, and trends using scholarly literature. Pharmacy education worldwide has developed rapidly over the past few decades, but few related studies have been conducted in this field. This study aims to explore the present landscape, identify research focal points, and future trends in the evolution of pharmacy education.

Methods: Published articles on pharmacy education from 2003 to 2022 were sourced and retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). Utilizing VOSviewer (1.6.18) and CiteSpace (6.2.R2) software, along with a platform (bibliometric.com), we performed comprehensive bibliometric and visualization analyses.

Results: From 2003 to 2022, research on pharmacy education developed rapidly, showing rising trends in annual publications and citations. A total of 2945 publications were collected for this study. The United States of America had the most significant number of publications. As shown in the co-authorship analysis, cooperation between countries is often led and embodied by collaborations between well-known institutions. "Online learning" is one of the latest research directions.

Conclusions: There is a continuously increasing tendency of studies in pharmacy education. The progression of pharmacy education research has transitioned from the theoretical phase to practical application in bedside clinical practice.

Keywords: Bibliometric; Pharmaceutical education; Pharmacy education; Scientometric; Visualization analysis.