Hotspots and Frontiers in Labor Analgesia Nursing Research: A CiteSpace-Based Visual Analysis

Abstract

Background: Labor analgesia nursing is an important component of intrapartum care, involving pain management, maternal experience, and health outcomes. However, the knowledge structure, research hotspots, and emerging trends in this field have not been systematically explored. This study aimed to analyze the current status, hotspots, and frontiers of labor analgesia nursing research using bibliometric methods. Methods: Relevant publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using the search strategy TS = ((“labor analgesia” OR “labor pain relief” OR “obstetric analgesia”) AND (nursing OR midwifery OR “intrapartum care”)). The time span was from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2025, and the search was conducted on March 1, 2026. After screening, 72 eligible publications were included. CiteSpace 6.4.R1 was used to analyze annual publication trends, collaboration networks of authors, institutions, and countries/regions, as well as keyword co-occurrence, clustering, and burst patterns. Results: The annual number of publications showed an overall upward trend and reached a peak in 2025. The United States occupied the central position in the country/region collaboration network, whereas collaboration among authors and institutions remained relatively scattered. Lim, Grace, was the most prominent author, and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education was the leading institution. High-frequency keywords mainly included epidural analgesia, fentanyl, labor analgesia, anesthesia, obstetric analgesia, cesarean delivery, nitrous oxide, and bupivacaine. Keyword clustering indicated that the field mainly focused on analgesic drugs, analgesic techniques, obstetric outcomes, and related clinical research topics. Recent burst keywords included health, childbirth satisfaction, obstetric analgesia, and labor. Conclusions: Labor analgesia nursing research has expanded steadily over the past two decades. Current studies mainly focus on pharmacological analgesia, obstetric outcomes, and maternal experience, while recent frontiers emphasize health outcomes and childbirth satisfaction.