Abstract:

Objective To summarize the research hotspots of patient reported outcomes in China and to explore the current research status so as to provide reference for studies in the future. Methods The literature related to patient reported outcomes was systematically searched in CNKI and Wanfang databases from databases’ establishment to December 31，2022. Bibliographic Items Co-occurrence Matrix Builder （BICOMB） software was used to count the high-frequency keywords in relevant literatures，and the formed word matrix was imported into the Graphical Clustering Toolkit（gCLUTO） for clustering and visual analysis. Results A total of 546 pieces of literature was collected，and 30 high-frequency keywords were extracted. Bibliometrics analysis showed an increasing tendency of literature on patient reported outcomes over year. Through cluster and visual analysis，three research hotspots were identified，including connotation and content analysis of patient reported outcomes，development and utilization of patient reported outcome measures，exploration and extension of patient reported outcome measurement information system. Conclusion At present，patient reported outcomes in China have not yet reached saturation in the field of medical research，and relvant research is in the exploratory stage in China. In the future，the researchers should draw on beneficial experiences and actively explore the development direction of localized patient reported outcomes under a global vision.

Key words: Bibliometrics, Patient reported outcomes, Research hotspot, Cluster analysis