ObjectiveTo analyze the research hotpots and development trends of international nursing ethical decision-making in the past 10 years by bibliometric methods. MethodsLiterature related to nursing ethical decision-making published in the Web of Science core collection database from 2014 to 2023 was retrieved. VOSviewer 1.6.18 software was utilized to visually present and analyze data regarding the number of publications， journal sources， countries of origin， author information， research institutions， key terms， co-cited references， and others. ResultsA total of 149 articles were included， involving 85 source journals， of which Nursing Ethics and BMC Medical Ethics were the most prolific. The number of publications on nursing ethical decision-making showed an overall upward trend， with the United States leading other countries in the number of publications. These publications involved 567 authors from 302 research institutions， and the degree of inter-institutional collaboration was relatively low. Keyword clustering， timeline overlay， and density analysis revealed that current research hotspots and trends included the ethical issues and decision-making in clinical nursing practice， the ethical decision-making level and competence of university nursing undergraduates， the ethical decision-making of nursing managers， and ethical decision-making dilemmas encountered by nursing staff during public health emergencies. ConclusionResearch on nursing ethical decision-making is gradually deepening but remains fragmented， lacking sustainability and collaboration. The ethical decision-making levels and competencies of university nursing students， as well as the field of ethical decision-making among nursing managers， may emerge as novel research hotspots in the future. Henceforth， it is necessary to strengthen in-depth exchanges among authors and institutions， pay close attention to international research frontiers， and enhance both the depth and breadth of research.