A Visualisation Analysis of Research Literature on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery for Fractures in the Elderly Using Citespace: 2004–2025

Abstract

Objective: To analyse the research trends in rapid recovery surgery for geriatric fractures in China from 2004 to 2025, thereby providing a reference for the current development of this field. Methods: All literature on rapid recovery surgery for geriatric fractures published between 2004 and 2025 and indexed in the CNKI database were analysed using CiteSpace software to generate visualisations of institutional collaborations, author collaborations and keywords. Results: The visualisations revealed that research in the field of geriatric fractures in China is predominantly focused on hip fractures, forming several relatively independent sub-clusters of author collaborations. High-frequency keywords included ‘geriatric hip fracture’, ‘hip fracture’, ‘fracture of the femoral neck’, ‘intertrochanteric femoral fracture’, ‘Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)’, ‘perioperative period’, ‘nursing’, ‘hip function’ and ‘complications’. Emerging terms such as ‘perioperative management’, ‘nursing in Enhanced Recovery After Surgery’, ‘hip function’ and ‘intertrochanteric fractures in the elderly’ are of significant importance for predicting future research frontiers. Conclusion: Through an analysis of research hotspots and frontiers in the field of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for fractures in the elderly in China, it was found that ERAS nursing and functional rehabilitation for intertrochanteric femoral fractures in the elderly represent future research frontiers. Based on evidence-based medicine, multicentre studies should be conducted to refine the multidisciplinary team (MDT)-ERAS nursing system for hip fractures in the elderly, which will help promote the development of the field of ERAS for hip fractures.