A bibliometric analysis of studies on health innovation

The provision of health and healthcare services plays a critical role in sustaining human life, enhancing quality of life, and ensuring well-being. Today, the healthcare sector faces multidimensional challenges such as rising costs, an aging population, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. These challenges threaten the sustainability of existing healthcare systems and necessitate the development of innovative solutions. In this context, innovation encompasses not only technological advancements but also service delivery models, management structures, and patient-centered approaches. The importance of innovation in the healthcare sector has been increasing steadily, as new technologies and approaches provide significant progress in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. In this study, healthcare innovation research is examined using a bibliometric analysis approach. Bibliometric analysis refers to the quantitative evaluation of publications produced within a specific field and time period or by a particular publication source over a defined time span. The Web of Science (WoS) database was selected for this research. Accordingly, studies published between 2004 and 2025 were analyzed using the R programming language. The distribution of publications by year, the most productive authors, institutions, countries, and journals were identified, and the most frequently cited articles were also evaluated. The findings indicate that interest in healthcare innovation has increased in recent years, that multidisciplinary collaborations have gained importance, and that subfields such as digital health, artificial intelligence, and blockchain are emerging prominently. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of healthcare innovation research and offers guiding insights for future studies in this field. Keywords: Health innovation, technology, bibliometric analysis, Web of Science, R program