Publication cluster map: the publication cluster map extracted from the publication map gives a more schematic overview of the 19 clusters of publications (figure 2A).
In addition to a publication map, a publication cluster map is constructed.
The publication cluster map shows that there are three main categories of patient safety literature.
In the publication cluster map, these terms can be found mainly in category 1, the category concerned with studying the magnitude of patient safety problems.
17 These five areas can be matched quite well to the categories found in the publication cluster map, thereby supporting the clinical validity of the map.
Although more scattered than in the publication cluster map (figure 2B), figure 4 shows a similar increasing trend in publications related to patient safety risk factors, as the corresponding terms are mostly used in recent years.
Category 3 in the publication cluster map, which is the category that deals with the implementation of solutions, cannot be identified as a separate group of terms in the term map.
In the publication cluster map, these terms are mostly used in category 2. Terms on the right side of the map mostly relate to measurable patient safety outcome parameters.
Nevertheless, comparing the publication cluster map and the term map, it seems that research on the implementation of solutions does not have a unique vocabulary of terms that allows it to be distinguished from other types of patient safety research.
By separating analyses by time of publication, clusters of terms defining galaxies can be created over successive time periods, allowing researchers to visualize changes in the thematic focus of research fields over time.
