Insights into the Technological Evolution and Research Trends of Mobile Health: Bibliometric Analysis

Background/Objectives: Smartphones, with their widespread popularity and diverse apps, have become essential in our daily lives, and ongoing advancements in information technology have unlocked their significant potential in healthcare. Our goal is to identify the future research directions of mobile health (mHealth) by examining its research trends and emerging hotspots. Methods: This study collected mHealth-related literature published between 2005 and 2024 from the Web of Science database. We conducted a descriptive statistic of the annual publication count and categorized the data by authors and institutions. In addition, we developed visualization maps to display the frequency of keyword co-occurrences. Furthermore, overlay visualizations were created to showcase the average publication year of specific keywords, helping to track the changing trends in mHealth research over time. Results: Between 2005 and 2024, a total of 6093 research papers related to mHealth were published. The data have revealed a rapid increase in the number of publications since 2011. However, it was found that research on mHealth has reached a saturation point since 2021. The University of California was the dominant force in mHealth research, with 248 articles. The University of California, the University of London, Harvard University, and Duke University are actively collaborating, which shows a geographical pattern of collaboration. From the analysis of keyword co-occurrence and timeline, the research focus has gradually shifted from solely mHealth technologies to exploring how new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) in mobile apps, can actively intervene in patient conditions, including breast cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Privacy protection policies and transparency mechanisms have emerged as an active research focus in current mHealth development. Notably, cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and virtual reality (VR) are being increasingly integrated into mHealth systems. These technological convergences are likely to constitute key research priorities in the field, particularly in addressing security vulnerabilities while enhancing service scalability. Conclusions: Although the volume of core research in mobile health (mHealth) is gradually declining, its practical applications continue to expand across diverse domains, increasingly integrating with multiple emerging technologies. It is believed that mobile health still holds enormous potential.