• Yunxia Hong, Chao Song, Zhongquan Jiang, and Wen Zhang.
• Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
• J Eval Clin Pract. 2024 Nov 11.

BackgroundMedical humanities education is an integral component of medical education. However, the current landscape of research on medical humanities education remains incomplete. The purpose of this study is to identify the trends in research on medical humanities education and provide a global overview of the field by analysing various aspects such as sources, authors, literature, and keywords. The aim is to offer insights and recommendations for the future development of medical humanities education.MethodsThis research utilised bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, SciMAT, and the R software package biblioshiny to analyse literature sources, authors, documents, and keywords. This systematic review methodology allowed for a comprehensive examination of the field. Additionally, the study investigated international collaborations and scientific outputs, shedding light on the global landscape of medical humanities education research.ResultsThe study included a total of 403 articles published between January 1980 and December 2023 from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The field of medical humanities education experienced an annual growth rate of 9.08% in literature output from 1980 to 2023, indicating its increasing prominence and scholarly interest over time. The research topics within this field have evolved in response to societal and medical developments. Core research themes that have consistently garnered attention from researchers include empathy, ethics, and narrative medicine, reflecting their significance and ongoing relevance in the field.ConclusionThese shifts in research hotspots signify the dynamic nature of the field, adapting to evolving contexts and emerging research domains. By embracing cross-cultural perspectives and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, stakeholders in medical humanities education can collectively enrich the field, promote inclusivity, and enhance the overall educational experience for healthcare professionals.© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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