Review Article - Bibliometric analysis of clinical health and medical care research: the case of Sudan from 1991 to 2021

Abstract

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies good health as a crucial human resource for daily life, survival, security, and prosperity. Developing nations face numerous challenges that hinder the advancement of good health and well-being. As one of the largest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan is positioned to advance “Good Health and Well-being.” Therefore, stakeholders are examining the current status and future outlook of clinical health and medical care (CHMC) research in Sudan. This paper used a bibliometric analysis (BA) of CHMC research in Sudan to understand the current challenges, research landscape, and scientific  developments.

Methodology: The PRISMA technique was used to identify, screen, and analyze 560 documents on CHMC research from 1991 to 2021 using Scopus data. BA was adopted to perform co-authorship, co-occurrence, and citation analyses using VOSViewer.

Results: Results revealed that 85.5% of the documents are research articles, although reviews, notes, and letters account for 10.2%. The most prolific authors are Peter Moszynski (United Kingdom), Ishag Adam (Saudi-Arabia), and Hashim Ghalib (United States). Khartoum University (Sudan) is the most prolific organization/affiliation. Funding analysis revealed that CHMC research is mainly financed externally by charitable and development organizations. The most active researchers in CHMC research are in Sudan, although strong collaboration exists with others abroad due to financial support, research funding, and knowledge exchange.

Conclusion: The study suggests that CHMC research in Sudan can significantly contribute to achieving the SDGs, but further research should address major social challenges and foster targeted collaborations.