METAVERSE IN HEALTHCARE: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

The rapid advancements observed during the digitalization era have led to significant growth in healthcare services, resulting in the development of new channels and models aimed at providing treatment at lower costs. One of these models, the metaverse, represents a convergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, the Internet of Things, and robotic applications, and has emerged as a breakthrough in the digital realm with substantial potential in healthcare. This combination of technologies has allowed healthcare services to become more personalized, breaking down barriers between healthcare providers and individuals. This study offers a comprehensive review of the use of the metaverse in healthcare, presenting a bibliometric analysis of 82 articles indexed in Web of Science (WoS) journals, evaluated through various parameters. The studies are categorized into tables based on year, language, number of highly cited publications, leading countries, universities, and publishers, as well as the most prolific authors and main research areas. Additionally, all the studies were analyzed using the Vosviewer software, a visual mapping technique. This research stands as a significant bibliometric study on the concept of the metaverse in healthcare literature.