International Publication Trends and Research Focuses on Green Approaches in Healthcare: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

Climate change, the depletion of natural resources, and the growing environmental impacts of the healthcare sector have increasingly highlighted the need for sustainability-focused transformation in healthcare systems. The need for sustainability-focused transformation refers to the “green hospital” approach a holistic management philosophy—which aims to reduce environmental impacts through energy efficiency, waste management, sustainable resource use, and eco-friendly clinical practices within healthcare institutions. The aim of this study is to examine the development trends and research focuses of scientific output in the field of green hospitals in the international literature using a bibliometric approach. The study’s dataset consists of 3,880 scientific publications published between 2000 and 2026 in the Web of Science Core Collection database and retrieved using the keyword “green hospital.” The data were analyzed using VOSviewer software; the distribution of publications by year, leading countries and institutions, author collaboration networks, citation relationships, and keyword co-occurrence patterns were evaluated. The findings indicate a significant increase in publications in the green hospitals literature, particularly in recent years, and show that research has focused on sustainability, climate change, and technology-supported clinical practices. Additionally, it was determined that China, the United States, and Japan are leading countries in the field’s scientific output, and that research is largely conducted within the framework of international collaborations. By revealing the structure and developmental trends of scientific output in the field of green hospitals, this study offers a comprehensive perspective to the literature on sustainable healthcare and is expected to provide a guiding framework for future research.

Keywords

• Green Hospitals
• Sustainable Healthcare
• Environmental Sustainability

YEŞİL HASTANELER ALANINDA ULUSLARARASI YAYIN TRENDLERİ VE ARAŞTIRMA ODAKLARININ BİBLİYOMETRİK ANALİZİ

Abstract

İklim değişikliği, doğal kaynakların tükenmesi ve sağlık sektörünün artan çevresel etkileri, sağlık sistemlerinde sürdürülebilirlik odaklı dönüşüme duyulan ihtiyacı giderek daha fazla vurgulamaktadır. Sürdürülebilirlik odaklı dönüşüm ihtiyacı, sağlık kurumlarında enerji verimliliği, atık yönetimi, sürdürülebilir kaynak kullanımı ve çevre dostu klinik uygulamalar yoluyla çevresel etkileri azaltmayı amaçlayan bütüncül bir yönetim felsefesi olan “yeşil hastane” yaklaşımını ifade etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, bibliyometrik bir yaklaşım kullanarak uluslararası literatürde yeşil hastaneler alanındaki bilimsel çıktıların gelişim eğilimlerini ve araştırma odaklarını incelemektir. Çalışmanın veri seti, Web of Science Core Collection veritabanında 2000 ile 2026 yılları arasında yayınlanan ve “yeşil hastane” anahtar kelimesi kullanılarak elde edilen 3.880 bilimsel yayından oluşmaktadır. Veriler VOSviewer yazılımı kullanılarak analiz edilmiş; yayınların yıla göre dağılımı, önde gelen ülkeler ve kurumlar, yazar işbirliği ağları, atıf ilişkileri ve anahtar kelime birlikte geçme kalıpları değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular, özellikle son yıllarda yeşil hastaneler literatüründe yayın sayısında önemli bir artış olduğunu ve araştırmaların sürdürülebilirlik, iklim değişikliği ve teknoloji destekli klinik uygulamalara odaklandığını göstermektedir. Ayrıca, Çin, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Japonya'nın bu alandaki bilimsel çıktıda önde gelen ülkeler olduğu ve araştırmaların büyük ölçüde uluslararası işbirlikleri çerçevesinde yürütüldüğü belirlenmiştir. Yeşil hastaneler alanındaki bilimsel çıktının yapısını ve gelişim eğilimlerini ortaya koyan bu çalışma, sürdürülebilir sağlık hizmetleri literatürüne kapsamlı bir bakış açısı sunmakta ve gelecekteki araştırmalar için yol gösterici bir çerçeve sağlaması beklenmektedir.

Keywords

• Yeşil Hastaneler
• Sürdürülebilir Sağlık Hizmetleri
• Çevresel Sürdürülebilirlik

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