Examination of Studies Conducted with Chatbot Applications in Healthcare: Bibliometric Analysis of The WOS Database

Purpose:   The use of chatbots in the field of healthcare is becoming increasingly widespread, and the number of academic studies conducted in this area is also on the rise. In this context, the primary objective of this study is to identify the trends and main research areas related to chatbot use in healthcare and to systematically evaluate these studies through bibliometric analysis.

Methods:   In this study, articles, conference proceedings, review papers, early access articles, and editorial materials published between 2010 and 2024 in the Web of Science database were examined. The literature search was conducted using the keyword phrase “Chatbot in Health” yielding a total of 1,515 academic publications. The obtained data were analyzed and classified using the bibliometric analysis method. The distribution of the studies was evaluated based on criteria such as publication year, countries, institutions, keywords, most cited publications, main research areas, authors, and author citation networks. For visualization and detailed analysis of the selected studies, VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) and Excel 2021 software were utilized.

Results:    The analysis revealed that the highest number of academic studies on chatbots was conducted in 2024. Regarding geographical distribution, the United States was identified as the country with the most research in this field. In terms of term frequency, “Chatbot” was found to be the most commonly used keyword in the literature, while Kowatsch emerged as the most prolific and most cited researcher in this domain. Subject-based evaluations indicated that the field of nutrition and dietetics was the discipline with the highest concentration of chatbot-related research.

Conclusions:   The findings of this study demonstrate that chatbot technology plays a significant role in the healthcare sector. With the advancement of technology, chatbots have not only contributed to the enhancement of healthcare services but have also provided various benefits to both patients and healthcare professionals. The increase in studies within the field of nutrition and dietetics highlights the effectiveness of chatbots in analyzing the nutritional value of foods, identifying diseases caused by unhealthy eating habits, and optimizing individuals' dietary plans according to their needs. However, in order for chatbot technology to fully realize its potential in healthcare services, further developments in natural language processing, personalization, data security, and domain-specific applications are required. Moreover, adopting innovative approaches in critical areas such as patient motivation, system integration processes, and emergency management will enable chatbots to be utilized more effectively and reliably in healthcare delivery.