Bibliometric Analysis on Artificial Intelligence applied to Infection Control
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26694/repis.v11i1.7237Keywords:
Infection Control, Artificial intelligence, Infectious diseases, Epidemiology, Bibliometric IndicatorsAbstract
Introduction:Infectious diseases remain a major global challenge, particularly in hospital settings. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool for the diagnosis, surveillance, and control of these infections. Objective: This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on the use of AI in infection control. Methods: This is a bibliometric, descriptive study with a quantitative approach, based on data from the Web of Science™ Core Collection. The search was conducted in August 2024 and retrieved 1,189 articles. Analyses were performed using RStudio (Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny packages), VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. Variables analyzed included publication trends, most productive authors, institutions, countries, journals, and thematic structure. Results: A significant increase in scientific output was observed starting in 2016, with a peak in 2023. The articles were authored by 7,058 researchers and published in 624 journals, with Scientific Reports and PLOS ONE standing out. China and the United States led in the number of publications. The most productive institutions included the University of California System and Wuhan University. Thematic clustering revealed four main research areas: diagnosis and prognosis, epidemiological surveillance, critical care (such as sepsis), and clinical decision support. Implications: The bibliometric findings confirm AI as a consolidated and strategic tool in the fight against infections, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights the need to increase the participation of low- and middle-income countries, to promote multicenter validations, and to further investigate the clinical applicability of AI-based solutions.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ellayne Beatriz Nunes de Sousa , Lorrana Maria Araújo de Almeida Nobre, Elisa Linhares Lima, Ana Raquel Batista de Carvalho
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