Review of the Status of Telemedicine Subject Presence in Scopus Database Scientific Articles

Abstract

This study systematically examines scholarly trends in telemedicine research from 2020 to 2024, focusing on scientific growth and international collaboration. Using bibliometric data mining and lexical content analysis of 18,445 Scopus-indexed articles, we identified patterns in publication output, influential journals, active institutions, collaboration rates, and frequently used keywords. Articles were retrieved using the keywords “telemedicine,” “telehealth,” and “digital health,” with inclusion limited to English-language publications. Duplicates, conference abstracts, and non-peer-reviewed items were excluded. Findings showed an annual publication growth rate of 3.52%, with 24.17% of papers involving international collaboration. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, BMJ Open, and BMC Health Services Research had the highest publication volume. The University of California, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University led institutional contributions. Frequently occurring keywords included COVID-19, telemedicine, digital health, and health services accessibility. Despite progress, challenges such as infrastructure limitations, data privacy concerns, and uneven adoption across countries remain. This analysis highlights telemedicine’s transition from a supplementary tool to a core element of modern healthcare and underscores the need for future research on standardization, equity, and cross-national implementation.