This paper introduces the first bibliometric study dedicated to exploring design thinking in nursing.

This study provides an in-depth analysis of global research trends and emerging hotspots of design thinking in nursing.

The study highlights digital health as a key area for integrating design thinking into nursing.

The increasing research on design thinking in nursing underscores its potential to improve patient care and optimize healthcare systems. However, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of this emerging field is still lacking.

This study aims to provide a thorough overview of existing research on design thinking in nursing using bibliometric indicators to examine trends and draw insights.

VOSviewer was used to conduct a bibliometric analysis, providing insights into the characteristics of the academic literature on design thinking in nursing. This study analyzed the literature from the inception of the database until March 20, 2024, using sources from the Web of Science Core Collection and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database.

The results reveal a substantial increase in research on design thinking in nursing, with 264 publications contributed by 1477 authors representing 634 organizations across 47 countries. These articles were published across 190 journals and referenced 10,093 sources from 5153 journals. The United States led in search contributions with 117 publications, while Stanford University stood out as the most prolific institution, averaging 40.3 citations per publication, highlighting its significant influence in the field. The study primarily explores broad themes in nursing, emphasizing key areas such as human-centered design, digital health, telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), education, innovation, and quality improvement. These findings reflect the increasing recognition of design thinking as a vital approach to enhancing nursing practice and education.

This study highlights the growing global focus on design thinking in nursing, with Western regions emerging as key contributors to research in the field. The recognition of key areas, including human-centered design, digital health, telemedicine, AI, education, innovation, implementation science, and quality improvement, underscores the need for nursing to advance its design thinking approaches. The results emphasize the importance of nursing educators and practitioners adopting and integrating design thinking principles, as this approach can significantly improve educational outcomes and patient care.

Artificial intelligence

Bibliometrics

Design thinking

Innovation

Nursing

Visual analysis

© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.