Evolution of the thematic structure and main producers of physical therapy interventions research: A bibliometric analysis (1986 to 2017).
Lidia Carballo-Costa, Zoe A Michaleff, Rodrigo Costas and 3 others
PMID 35868161WHAT IT FOUND
Physical therapy research has shifted over thirty years.
Topics like neurological rehabilitation and physical activity gained prominence, while others like health economics faded. The United States, UK, and Australia remain the most productive countries, though China and Brazil are rising fast.
Key findings
01Eight main topics defined the field from 1986 to 2017, including neurological rehabilitation, musculoskeletal pain, and exercise for lifestyle diseases.
02The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia were the most productive countries, but France, Finland, and Canada had higher citation impact per article.
03Research production increased substantially in all countries, with China and Brazil rising to fifth and sixth place by 2017 despite starting later.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study only looked at randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, and guidelines indexed in PEDro, so it misses observational studies, qualitative research, and other designs. 12.7% of articles in PEDro (5,578 articles) could not be matched to the Web of Science database and were excluded from the analysis. The interpretation of the topic maps relied on the judgement of six physical therapists, which introduces some subjectivity. The data is based on publications up to 2017, so it does not reflect research trends from 2018 onwards, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as a clinical guideline or evidence for a specific treatment. This is a bibliometric analysis, meaning it studies the patterns of publications themselves, not the effectiveness of the therapies described in those publications.