Identifying the Knowledge Structure and Trends of Nursing Informatics: A Text Network Analysis

With the advent of the information age and technological development, the importance of digital health technologies has increased. Subsequently, nursing informatics has been developed to enhance the effectiveness of healthcare information management and communication. This study aimed to identify the nursing informatics knowledge structure and research trends through quantitative analysis using text network analysis. Here, we analyzed 14 225 studies published by 2020. The knowledge structure of nursing informatics and changes therein were clarified by identifying and analyzing the core keywords, topics, and changes in the topics of related studies over time. We identified “patient,” “health,” “system,” and “information” as core keywords connecting other keywords. Over time, the networks between “information,” “communication,” and “technology” strengthened, and “patient safety” and “quality” have recently emerged as research keywords. This change indicates an increase in the importance of nursing education on technology. Similar changes appeared in the topic analysis, showing an increased proportion of research related to system and technology and nursing education. These results can broaden a systematic understanding of nursing informatics research. Furthermore, given these findings, the importance of nursing informatics on patient safety and nursing education—based on the development of systems and technology—can be expected to continue growing.