Bibliometric analysis of current status of TCM nursing technologies application and clinical nursing care

Objective To search for a correspondence relationship between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) nursing technologies and diseases care, and find out application hot spots of TCM nursing technologies through a bibliometric analysis of current status of clinical application of TCM nursing technologies. Methods A bibliometric analysis method was employed to analyze TCM nursing technologies related literatures retrospectively. Results A total of 4044 studies were collected and analyzed, showing that the literatures about moxibustion therapy, auricular point application, retention enema of TCM, acupoint massage, acupuncture and TCM fumigation these 6 technologies were more common than the others except for those about comprehensive care. The involved diseases in those literatures mainly were stroke, lumbar disc herniation, diabetes, colitis and pelvic inflammatory etc. and most of the symptoms were constipation, insomnia, pain and urinary retention etc. Conclusions The 6 TCM nursing technologies appear the nursing relationships with certain disease: moxibustion therapy has good effects on stroke, spondylitis, lumbar disc herniation and urinary retention etc; auricular point application is applicable among cerebrovascular disease, insomnia and constipation; retention enema of TCM is applied mostly to gastrointestinal disease; acupoint massage is used more in postoperative; acupuncture suits the treatment for facial paralysis and urinary incontinence etc. TCM fumigation is effective for the treatment of arthritis and cervical and lumbar pain. Key words: Bibliometrics; Disease and symptom; Traditional Chinese medicine nursing