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Home Articles Vol 39,2026 No.5 Detail

Bibliometric analysis of ethical review of clinical research in the context of public health emergency caused by emerging infectious diseases in China

Published on Jun. 04, 2026Total Views: 65 times Total Downloads: 17 times Download Mobile

Author: LIU Lu 1, 2 CAO Lili 1, 2, 3, 4

Affiliation: 1. Department of Scientific Research, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University ＆ Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China2. College of Medical Security, Shandong First Medical University ＆ Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, China3. Shandong Provincial University Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Translational Medicine, Jinan 250014, China4. Shandong Lung Cancer Institute, Jinan 250014, China

Keywords: Emerging infectious diseases Clinical research Ethical review Bibliometrics

DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.1004-4337.202512056

Reference: Liu L, Cao LL. Bibliometric analysis of ethical review in clinical research in the context of public health emergency caused by emerging infectious diseases in China[J]. Journal of Mathematical Medicine, 2026, 38(5): 811-824. DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.1004-4337.1-2025120[Article in Chinese]

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Abstract

Objective  To analyze the current status, challenges, and opportunities of ethical review of clinical research in the context of emerging infectious diseases in China, and to provide a reference for improving the national emergency ethics governance system.

Methods  Relevant literature was retrieved from the CNKI, WanFang, and Web of Science databases. Excel 2021 and CiteSpace 6.4.R1 were used to conduct visualized analyses of publication volume, authors and institutional collaboration networks, and keywords co-occurrence patterns.

Results  A total of 110 relevant articles published up to 2025 were included. Research on ethical review of emergency clinical research in China began in 2020, and the annual number of publications showed a pronounced event-driven pattern corresponding to the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 26 core authors from 74 institutions were identified, while overall inter-institutional collaboration remained rel-atively weak. The main research themes focused on quality assurance, research management, traditional Chinese medicine, and big data. Content analysis further indicated that informed consent, risk-benefit assessment, and privacy and data protection were the most frequently addressed ethical review topics.

Conclusion  Ethical review of emergency clinical research in China remains in a phase of system development, with further improvement needed in the consistency of review standards, inter-institutional collaboration mechanisms, and the standardization of emergency procedures. As relevant policy frameworks continue to be refined and technical conditions become increasingly mature, it is necessary to advance ethical review for emergency clinical research under the guiding principle of "integration of routine and emergency preparedness", promoting its institutionalization, pro-ceduralization, informatization, standardization, and sustainable development.

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