Application of patient identification to prevent fraud in health facilities: a bibliometric study

Creative solutions to improve patient identification procedures can be developed through a better understanding of the current trends and challenges. The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of scientific contributions in the field of patient identification. This study explored various dimensions, including publication trends, core journals, authorship patterns, institutional affiliations, contributions by country, thematic distribution, author collaborations, keywords, and country statistics from 2018 to 2023. Data collection included searching the Scopus database using the relevant keywords “patient identification’ and “patient safety”. Next, the collected dataset underwent thorough analysis and visualization using VOSviewer software. This methodological approach facilitates the identification of key bibliometric metrics, offering valuable insights into the dynamics and characteristics of patient identification research over a specific period. There has been a significant increase in the number of publications, with a record high in 2022. Journal of Patient Safety has emerged as a significant publisher in this domain. Certain institutions such as Harvard Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Brigham and Women's Hospital show extraordinary productivity in scientific publications. The United States has emerged as the most productive country in terms of research output. Medicine had the largest number of publications. The keyword most frequently used by writers was human. In conclusion, the increase in international scientific publications on patient identification by 2022 highlights the growing importance of this topic in the medical field. The contributions of authors, such as Manzo and BF, from prestigious institutions further demonstrate the importance of research in this area.