Nursing care in public hospital emergency services bibliometric review

This article presents a comprehensive bibliometric review of scientific research on nursing care in public hospital emergency services. The study aims to systematically map the evolution, structure, and thematic priorities of the literature in this field, identifying publication trends, influential authors, leading journals, contributing countries, and emerging research domains. Given the increasing complexity of emergency healthcare systems and the central role of nurses in high-pressure clinical environments, the study addresses the need for an integrated synthesis of a fragmented and rapidly growing body of knowledge. Methodologically, the study adopts a bibliometric and science mapping approach based on secondary data sources. A structured search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science to identify peer-reviewed articles and review papers published between 2006 and 2024 that explicitly address nursing care in public hospital emergency services. The selection process followed predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria focused on thematic relevance and metadata completeness. The reporting of the search, screening, and inclusion phases adheres to the PRISMA 2020 statement as a reporting guideline to ensure transparency and reproducibility. Bibliometric performance analysis was used to examine temporal publication trends, citation patterns, and the distribution of scientific output across authors, journals, and countries. In parallel, science mapping techniques—including keyword co-occurrence analysis, thematic evolution analysis, and network visualization—were applied using VOSviewer® to explore the conceptual structure of the field. These techniques enabled the identification of dominant thematic clusters, emerging research topics, and shifts in research priorities over time. The results reveal a marked growth in scientific production, particularly after 2010, with significant peaks around 2018 and 2020. The United States and Australia emerge as leading contributors in terms of productivity and citation impact, while specialized journals such as Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal and International Emergency Nursing play a central role in knowledge dissemination. Thematic analyses indicate an evolution from an early focus on nurse practitioner roles toward broader concerns related to workforce sustainability, triage systems, burnout, ethical climate, palliative care, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency nursing practice. The discussion contextualizes these findings within the existing literature, highlighting the interdependence between clinical competencies, role expansion, organizational conditions, and professional well-being in emergency nursing. The study also identifies critical research gaps, particularly in relation to long-term workforce outcomes, cross-cultural competencies, ethical decision-making, and the evaluation of interventions aimed at mitigating burnout. Based on these insights, a structured research agenda is proposed to guide future investigations and support evidence-based improvements in emergency nursing practice. Overall, this article contributes to the field by offering an integrative and longitudinal perspective on emergency nursing research. By combining bibliometric indicators with science mapping techniques, it provides a robust analytical framework that enhances understanding of how research priorities have evolved and where future scholarly and practical efforts should be directed to strengthen nursing care in public hospital emergency settings.