The global development trend of occupational therapy applied in stroke: A bibliometric study and visualized analysis via VOSviewer and CiteSpace from 2006 to 2025.
Global research output on occupational therapy for stroke rose over two decades.
The global development trend of occupational therapy applied in stroke: A bibliometric study and visualized analysis via VOSviewer and CiteSpace from 2006 to 2025.
Occupational therapy (occupational therapy) is an important component of stroke rehabilitation, but the global research landscape, collaboration patterns, research hotspots, and emerging trends in occupational therapy for stroke have not been systematically mapped.
This bibliometric study aimed to analyze publications on occupational therapy for stroke from 2006 to 2025 and provide evidence for future clinical practice and research planning.
English-language articles related to occupational therapy for stroke were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection from January 1, 2006, to October 31, 2025.
The annual number of publications showed a fluctuating but overall upward trend, with the highest output observed in 2021 and 2022, each with 60 publications.
The most prolific authors were Masahiro Abo and Louise Gustafsson.
The British Journal of Occupational Therapy and Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation were the leading journals in terms of publication output.
Research on occupational therapy for stroke has increased overall over the past 2 decades, with evolving hotspots from impairment-oriented rehabilitation toward broader, occupation-centered, participation-oriented, technology-assisted, and home-based rehabilitation approaches.
However, collaboration among countries, institutions, and authors remains relatively fragmented.
Future studies should strengthen international and interdisciplinary cooperation and generate high-quality clinical evidence to support occupational therapy practice in stroke rehabilitation.