Preventive medicine focuses on averting disease through methods such as vaccinations, public health education, and changes in lifestyle. This bibliometric analysis assessed significant research within the field, high lighting trends, major contributors, and publication trends. The goal of the study was to deepen understanding and inform future developments in preventive practices for healthcare professionals and policymakers. This research used a descriptive bibliometric analysis of the 50 most cited papers in preventive medicine, drawing on data from the Web of Science Core Collection. Following the screening of 349 pertinent papers, information regarding citations, authorship, and publication specifics was extracted. The analysis was performed using R Studio, employing bibliometrics and biblioShiny for visualizations and metrics. The most frequent contributors were the United States (50%) and the United Kingdom (28%). The most common designs were prospective cohort studies (seven studies) and systematic reviews (12 studies). Physical activity, epidemiology, and behavioral treatments were among the research areas. After COVID-19, there was a notable increase in pandemic-related research. High-income countries lead the way in preventive medicine research, exposing regional differences in contributions. Future research should focus on including underrepresented locations and themes as well as a wider geographic representation. This analysis offered important new information for directing future studies and promoting fair improvements in preventive healthcare.
Key words: Preventive medicine, bibliometric analysis, citation trends, global research, systemic review
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