RESUMO
Objective:To analyze the hotspots of international acupuncture research; To evaluate the influence of each hotspot; To explore its development trend.Methods:Acupuncture research related literature was retrieved from the Web of Science core database from January 1, 2019 to January 1, 2022. 42 highly cited literature was extracted using BICOMB 2.01 software, and a 42×42 co-occurrence matrix was constructed. A co-citation cluster analysis figure was drawn with SPSS 26.0 software. The CPT values of each hotspot identified in the cluster figure were computed using the formula CPT=(C/P)/T=C/(P·T). Bubble charts were drawn to show each hotspot's annual publication of articles.Results:Totally 23 research hotspots were identified, including consensus on the quality of evidence and recommendation intensity, assessment of the efficacy of acupuncture for chronic pain and analgesic mechanisms of acupuncture. The bubble chart showed that the annual attention of 23 hotspots varied, with 14 hotspots increasing year by year, 5 hotspots remaining stable, and only 4 hotspots decreasing year by year.Conclusions:The study has found that the direction of acupuncture research in the past three years focuses on acupuncture indication research, acupuncture mechanism research and evidence-based methodology research. China is the main contributor to the expansion of acupuncture indication research. The international trend of acupuncture development is obvious. Chinese acupuncture research faces greater competitive pressure, and the influence of core papers is insufficient.