Trends and insights in e-learning in medical education : a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Medical education is vital in producing competent healthcare professionals and advancing medical knowledge. The integration of e-learning has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance medical education by improving accessibility, cost-effectiveness and interactive learning experiences. With the COVID19 pandemic further accelerating e-learning adoption, analysing the trends, publication collaborations and publication patterns in this domain is crucial. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of published documents on the Scopus database in e-learning in medical education to explore the trends in scientific productivity. Publications in the domain has sporadically increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic introduces a changing focus in research and emerging trends, with COVID-19 becoming a dominant topic and emerging theme. A collaborative research environment exists between authors; however, there is a divide between developed and developing countries in publication distribution, emphasising the need for equitable participation. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of e-learning in medical education, emphasising collaboration, publication patterns, emerging trends, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers can leverage these findings to advance e-learning in medical education and enhance the quality of medical training and education.