Mapping the Evolution of Forensic Nursing: A Bibliometric Review of 29 Years

Objective This study conducts a bibliometric analysis to examine the scientific development of forensic nursing between 1995 and 2024, identifying research trends, thematic shifts, and patterns of academic collaboration. This analysis adopts a comprehensive definition of forensic nursing that includes clinical forensic care for victims and perpetrators of violence, correctional nursing, forensic psychiatric nursing, death investigation, and broader medicolegal practice domains. Methods A longitudinal bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science (WoS) database. The study applied bibliometric mapping techniques with VOSviewer and Biblioshiny to analyze publication trends, citation impact, keyword co‐occurrence, and country‐based research collaborations. Results The findings indicate a significant increase in forensic nursing publications, particularly after 2008, with annual publications peaking at 50 in 2024. Citation analysis shows a moderate academic impact, with an average of 9.05 citations per article. Keyword analysis highlights a qualitative shift from generalized violence discourse toward specialized medicolegal competencies, including forensic evidence collection, strangulation assessment, and trauma‐informed care. While the USA, Canada, and the UK lead in research productivity, international collaborations remain limited, with only 2.6% of US publications involving coauthorship with other countries. Conclusion Forensic nursing is undergoing progressive institutional consolidation but faces structural fragmentation due to national legal specificities. Future research should prioritize international protocol standardization, digital forensics, and addressing professional burnout. Strengthening multidisciplinary partnerships is essential to enhancing the field’s global visibility and clinical impact.