Unveiling Patient Delay: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Research Hotspots and Frontiers

Introduction

Patient delay significantly affects health outcomes. When patients postpone seeking care, they may face advanced disease stages, leading to worse clinical outcomes and increased psychological and financial burdens. This delay strains healthcare resources, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where medical facilities and staff are already limited. Consequently, timely treatment of diseases becomes harder, and health-related risks in communities rise, particularly with infectious diseases. Therefore, minimizing patient delays is essential for improving public health and clinical outcomes. It allows for better resource allocation and reduces healthcare costs, waiting times, and the potential spread of disease.

Methods

Search Strategy

We utilized CiteSpace for analyzing keywords and clusters, identifying research trends in patient delay.

Data Analysis

We summarized publication counts and citations using WOSCC visualization tools. VOSviewer analyzed institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. The Bibliometrix platform helped visualize international collaboration in this field.

Results

Annual Publications on Patient Delay

Research on patient delay has grown steadily from 2000 to 2023, with the USA being the most productive country (138 publications). Other notable contributors include China (75 papers) and England (58 papers).

Distribution of Research Institutions

We studied 151 institutions. The University of California, San Francisco, led with 21 publications, followed by King’s College London (15) and the University of Kentucky (13).

Journal Distribution

“BMC Public Health” published the most papers (24), followed by “International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease” (20).

Keyword Analysis

Keyword co-occurrence identified three clusters:

1. Patient Delay Cluster – Keywords like “Diagnosis” and “Survival.”
2. Acute Conditions Cluster – Keywords such as “Acute Myocardial Infarction” and “Chest Pain.”
3. Healthcare Insight Cluster – Keywords like “Knowledge” and “Awareness.”

Discussion

Principal Findings

Research on patient delay is growing but still needs more focus, especially regarding specific diseases. Key authors, like Moser, have explored delays in acute conditions like myocardial infarction and stroke. Influential studies highlight critical areas of concern, especially regarding tuberculosis and stroke.

Research Hotspots

1. High-Risk Populations: Patients with acute cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, and cancer.
2. Influencing Factors: Factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status affecting delay times.
3. Adverse Outcomes: Identifying and managing delays to reduce severe health impacts.

Research Frontiers

• Patient Delay Criteria: Emerging trends involve redefining and standardizing patient delay definitions based on disease types.
• Management of Patient Delay: Recent studies focus on interventions to improve timely healthcare access.

Strengths and Limitations

This analysis captures broad trends and hotspots but suggests that individual patient factors and specific conditions require deeper exploration.

Conclusion

Addressing patient delay is crucial for improving healthcare outcomes globally. Continued research into understanding reasons for delays and developing targeted interventions can lead to better health for affected populations.

Data Sharing Statement

Data for this study are available upon request.

Funding

Supported by the Innovation Platform’s Open Foundation of the Education Department in Hunan Province, China.

Disclosure

The authors declare no competing interests.