Tracing the Evolution of Research on Breaking Bad News: A Global Analysis of Publications
- 1National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru
Abstract
BackgroundBreaking bad news (BBN) is an essential part of healthcare communication especially in the fields of oncology, palliative care and life threatening illness.
ObjectiveThis study aims to analyze the global research trends, publication patterns and the intellectual structure of BBN literature from 2000 to 2025.
MethodsBibliometric study was performed on Scopus database. A total of 843 publications were retrieved and analyzed by bibliometric techniques. Visualization tools such as VOSviewer and R Studio were employed, along with Lotkas and Bradfords laws.
ResultsThe findings indicate that there is a steady growth of publications. The United States emerged as the leading contributor. Journals including Patient Education and Counseling were dominant in the field. Key areas of focus identified through thematic analysis included oncology, palliative care and communication, while emerging themes included empathy and telemedicine.
ConclusionBBN research has evolved into a mature, interdisciplinary field with increasing emphasis on patient-centered communication.
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BibTeX
@misc{mujeeb2026tracing,
title = {{Tracing the Evolution of Research on Breaking Bad News: A Global Analysis of Publications}},
author = {S. Mujeeb and L. Ponnuchamy and G. Majhi and G. J. S. Birua and A. Shashidhar and Y. Bharadwaj and A. s. Koshy},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.14.26362941},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.26362941v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Tracing the Evolution of Research on Breaking Bad News: A Global Analysis of Publications
AU - S. Mujeeb
AU - L. Ponnuchamy
AU - G. Majhi
AU - G. J. S. Birua
AU - A. Shashidhar
AU - Y. Bharadwaj
AU - A. s. Koshy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.14.26362941
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.26362941v1
AB - BackgroundBreaking bad news (BBN) is an essential part of healthcare communication especially in the fields of oncology, palliative care and life threatening illness. ObjectiveThis study aims to analyze the global research trends, publication patterns and the intellectual structure of BBN literature from 2000 to 2025. MethodsBibliometric study was performed on Scopus database. A total of 843 publications were retrieved and analyzed by bibliometric techniques. Visualization tools such as VOSviewer and R Studio were employed, along with Lotkas and Bradfords laws. ResultsThe findings indicate that there is a steady growth of publications. The United States emerged as the leading contributor. Journals including Patient Education and Counseling were dominant in the field. Key areas of focus identified through thematic analysis included oncology, palliative care and communication, while emerging themes included empathy and telemedicine. ConclusionBBN research has evolved into a mature, interdisciplinary field with increasing emphasis on patient-centered communication.
ER -