Objective To analyse the hotspots and trends in research of patient navigation. Methods Literature on patient navigation were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science Core Collection from 1 January,2000 to 31 December,2023. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 was used to analyse the co-citation literature,institutions and key words. Results A total of 483 articles were included,covering 444 in English and 39 in Chinese. The overall number of annual publications showed a fluctuating upward trend. Domestic research started later than abroad. The research hotspots included navigation model,navigation nurse,breast cancer and social service. The development of navigation model,training of navigation nurses,and identification of standardised navigation outcome indicators are expected to become the trend in future research. Conclusion Domestic research in patient navigation is at a preliminary stage. It is recommended that researchers should learn from foreign studies by strengthen communications and cooperation,further explore and improve theories,and develop a scientific and localised patient navigation model and a training system for navigation nursing talents.

Objective To analyse the hotspots and trends in research of patient navigation. Methods Literature on patient navigation were retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science Core Collection from 1 January,2000 to 31 December,2023. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 was used to analyse the co-citation literature,institutions and key words. Results A total of 483 articles were included,covering 444 in English and 39 in Chinese. The overall number of annual publications showed a fluctuating upward trend. Domestic research started later than abroad. The research hotspots included navigation model,navigation nurse,breast cancer and social service. The development of navigation model,training of navigation nurses,and identification of standardised navigation outcome indicators are expected to become the trend in future research. Conclusion Domestic research in patient navigation is at a preliminary stage. It is recommended that researchers should learn from foreign studies by strengthen communications and cooperation,further explore and improve theories,and develop a scientific and localised patient navigation model and a training system for navigation nursing talents.