Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to analyze the hotspots of research in the digital literacy of medical teachers and provide references for its development.
Methods
The Web of Science Core Collection database was searched for works published between January 2021 and December 2025 using “digital literacy/digital competence”, “medical education/health professions education”, and “teacher” as subject terms. NoteExpress version 3.0 was employed for literature management and deduplication, and CiteSpace 6.3.R1 was used for bibliometric analysis and knowledge map visualization. Indicators such as annual publication trends, country/institution distribution, keyword clustering, and burst detection were established, and visual maps were drawn.
Results
The annual number of publications on the digital literacy of medical teachers increased from January in 2021 to December in 2025, and 6,452 eligible studies were identified in total. The top five countries in terms of cumulative publication output were the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany. The top five high-frequency keywords were digital literacy (945 occurrences), literacy (657 occurrences), technology (478 occurrences), health literacy (418 occurrences), and education (401 occurrences). Ten keyword clustering themes were identified, namely digital health, digital literacy, information literacy, integration of digital tools with multimodal resources, artificial intelligence, health equity, higher education, health literacy, social media, and financial literacy. Based on the results of keyword burst detection in recent years, current research hotspots were identified as university students, risk factors, adolescents, digital literacy, and pedagogy.
Conclusion
Research on the digital literacy of medical teachers is growing fast, centering on literacy connotation, competency development, and technological integration, with hotspots shifting to research subjects, practical teaching, and ethical risk management. Current studies are mostly single-country-based and characterized by weak international cooperation and inadequate standardized evaluation systems. Future research needs more cross-border collaboration, discipline-specific assessment tools, and digital education risk prevention.
1. Introduction
Higher education is experiencing a profound transformation from informatization to digitalization, with digital literacy becoming an essential competency for citizens and educators.1-3 Digital literacy refers to “a set of qualities and abilities that citizens in the digital society should possess for learning, working, and living, including digital acquisition, production, application, evaluation, interaction, sharing, innovation, security assurance, and ethics”, and is one of the essential literacies in the digital era. 4 In 2022, Scholars from Peru, Spain and other countries defined the industry standards for teachers’ digital literacy based on five dimensions, namely digital awareness, digital technology knowledge and skills, digital application, digital social responsibility, and professional development.5,6 Existing research has predominantly centered on the connotation, standards, and evaluation of teachers’ digital literacy. For example, the assessment tools and standards for teachers’ digital literacy have been developed and optimized through the comparative analysis of domestic and foreign teachers’ digital literacy frameworks. However, specialized visual and trend analyses dealing with the research hotspots of teachers’ digital literacy in the context of medical education based on internationally authoritative databases are scarce. 7 Medical education is characterized by strong practicality, high ethical requirements, rapid knowledge renewal, and the intensive use of digital tools, with teachers’ digital literacy directly impacting the quality of digital teaching, cultivation of clinical skills, and promotion of digital health. 8 Related bibliometric analyses can clarify the international research context, identify research gaps, and provide empirical support for the development of training programs and evaluation systems in medical education.
Consequently, we herein conducted the bibliometric and visual analyses of research on the digital literacy of medical teachers, targeting works published in 2021–2025 and listed in the Web of Science (WOS) database. By doing so, we aimed to reveal research hotspots, cooperation patterns, and development trends and thus provide a reference for cultivating medical teachers’ digital literacy.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Data Sources
The WOS Core Collection was used as the only database. A topic-based search strategy was adopted: Topic = (digital literacy OR digital competence) AND (medical education OR health professions education) AND (teacher). Works published between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025, were considered. Document types were restricted to articles and reviews, i.e., conference abstracts, book abstracts, standards, submission guidelines, declarations, incomplete records, and irrelevant literature were excluded. After deduplication using NoteExpress V3.0 and manual screening, 6,452 valid documents were identified. A flowchart of the screening process, including reasons for exclusion at each stage, is provided in Figure 1. Flowchart of study identification and selection based on the Web of Science Core Collection
2.2. Research Methods
(1) Data management: NoteExpress V3.0 was used for literature import, deduplication, format standardization, and export. (2) Visualization analysis: Data were imported into CiteSpace 6.3.R1, with the time slice set as 2021–2025; the node type was set to keywords; the threshold was selected as the top 10 high-frequency nodes in each period. Analysis indicators included annual publication volume, national/institutional publications and collaborations, author distribution, funding support, high-frequency keywords, keyword clustering, and keyword bursts. (3) Judgment of clustering reliability: A modularity value of Q > 0.3 indicated a significant clustering structure, and an average silhouette value of S > 0.7 suggested reliable clustering results.
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3. Results
3.1. Annual Number of Publications
The earliest studies related to digital literacy in medical education appeared in 1980.
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The annual number of such publications was less than 100 before 2010, showed fluctuations and slow growth in 2011–2020 (average ≈ 200), and rapidly increased in 2021–2025 (average > 1,300) (Figure 2). Time course (1980–2025) of the annual number of publications on digital literacy in medical education
3.2. Main Sources of Publications
The top 10 countries in terms of the number of publications were identified as the United States (1,349), China (1,244), the United Kingdom (546), Australia (524), Germany (465), Spain (364), Canada (284), South Korea (255), the Netherlands (213), and Italy (202). The national clustering map in Figure 3 reveals a low intensity of international cooperation. Country clustering results for the 6,452 papers on medical teachers’ digital literacy published in 2021–2025
Top 20 Universities/Institutions in Terms of the Number of Publications on Medical Teachers’ Digital Literacy (2021–2025, n = 6,452)
The top five funding agencies in terms of the number of publications were identified as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (199), the U.S. National Institutes of Health (187), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (145), the European Union (116), and the National Research Foundation of Korea (69).
The top five authors in terms of the number of publications are Lee Jaegyeong (22), Li Hui (22), Okan Orkan (21), Dadaczynski Kevin (20), and Zhang Ying (20).
3.3. Keyword Analysis
3.3.1. Keyword Frequency Analysis
Top 15 High-Frequency Keywords and Their Betweenness Centralities for Research on Medical Teachers’ Digital Literacy (2021–2025, n = 6,452)
3.3.2. Keyword Clustering Analysis
Keyword clustering reflects the distribution of research topics. The obtained Q and S values (0.53 and 0.78, respectively) exceeded the corresponding critical thresholds (0.3 and 0.7, respectively), indicating high result reliability.
Using the Timeline View function of the CiteSpace software, we obtained 10 keyword clustering themes related to the examined research (Figure 4), namely digital health, digital literacy, information literacy, digital multimodal composing, artificial intelligence, health equity, higher education, health literacy, social media, and financial literacy.Research on medical teachers’ digital literacy was found to mainly focus on (i) the connotation, framework, and model of teachers’ literacy; (ii) the importance of teachers’ literacy and approaches to improving the same, such as the need for digital literacy training and improvement, as well as the importance of improving preservice teachers’ literacy and integrating digital technology; (iii) the assessment and standards of teachers’ literacy, such as the six core areas (subsequently expanded to eight areas) and 22 basic competencies proposed in the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu).11-15 Results of keyword clustering analysis obtained for the 6,452 papers on medical teachers’ digital literacy published in 2021–2025
3.3.3. Keyword Burst Detection
Top 20 Keywords According to Burst Intensity Obtained for Research on Medical Teachers’ Digital Literacy (2021–2025, n = 6,452)
4. Discussion
4.1. Research Output has Grown Rapidly, Mainly Because of the Digitalization of Medical Education
Based on publication volume, research on medical teachers’ digital literacy can be roughly divided into an initial exploration period (before 2020) and a rapid development period (after 2021). Early studies mainly focused on the connotation and framework of teachers’ digital literacy, as well as its importance for the development of higher education. Most research dealt with digital literacy in a broad sense, with few studies focusing on that of medical teachers. Before the concept and connotation of digital literacy were widely accepted, some scholars had begun to pay attention to the changes in education and teaching brought by the development of information technology.16,17 Considering the different periods of information technology development, the connotation of this literacy may be understood as computer literacy, information literacy, media literacy, etc. Some countries and regions have emphasized the importance of teachers’ digital literacy. For example, European countries (regions) such as Ireland, Austria, and Spain have formulated frameworks for teachers’ digital literacy based on investigations 18 and defined the core elements of digital literacy as digital teaching, digital content design, digital communication and cooperation, digital security, and digital evaluation. The overall framework in this stage was decentralized. Driven by the needs of digital transformation and public health emergencies over the past five years, demand for distance education and digital medical education has increased, as reflected by a surge in the related average annual publication volume. The related research has mainly focused on the framework, connotation, and evaluation of teachers’ digital literacy and has been deepening toward instructional practice, evaluation tools, and technology integration. For example, a universal framework for teachers’ digital literacy, including curriculum integration ability, personal academic integrity (ethics) ability, and personal professional ability, was proposed. 11 Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, some studies revealed that current teachers’ digital literacy has not yet truly played a positive role in promoting the development of teaching and learning processes. 19 These studies emphasize the need to formulate teacher training programs to achieve a real paradigm shift and realize the deep integration of teaching methods and educational strategies. Thus, digital literacy has become one of the core issues in medical education reform.
4.2. Regional Distribution Is Unbalanced, and International Cooperation Should Be Strengthened
According to study clustering by country, most works originate from China, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and are supported by national funds. However, international collaborations are scarce, and studies are mostly conducted within individual regions.20-22 Countries have carried out empirical studies or issued relevant research reports and guidelines based on the development of domestic digital medical education to accelerate the cultivation of teachers’ digital literacy. China ranks second in terms of publication volume but lacks localized theoretical innovation, as well as original frameworks and empirical studies tailored to the characteristics of domestic medical education. 23 Obvious individual differences in the digital literacy of teachers in medical universities are present, and the accumulation of digital literacy can be classified as linear, multifactor-driven, parallel, and leading.
Digitalization brings both opportunities and challenges to higher medical education in various countries, with the open digital environment providing support for research on teachers’ digital literacy. At present, international research on teachers’ digital literacy mainly focuses on regional exploration, and the potential of cross-country or cross-regional collaborations has not been fully realized. However, in medical education, the in-depth research on and long-term development of teachers’ digital literacy cannot be separated from international cooperation. In the future, academic exchanges and conferences are expected to facilitate the construction of international cooperation networks, promote the mutual recognition of cross-cultural teachers’ digital literacy standards, and strengthen international academic cooperation to promote digital sharing and innovation.
4.3. The Evaluation System for Teachers’ Digital Literacy Requires Further Exploration and Optimization
From the perspective of keyword clustering and specific studies, current research on teachers’ teaching digital literacy focuses on the definition of literacy connotation, the construction of capacity-building frameworks, and teaching application and training pathways. Some countries have achieved promising initial results in research on the connotation and framework of teachers’ digital literacy. For example, the expansion and application of the DigCompEdu competency framework emphasize technology integration, information processing, and ethical awareness. In terms of improving teachers’ digital literacy, attention is paid to preservice teacher training and the optimization of strategies for integrating digital technology into teaching practice. 24 In terms of digital literacy assessment and standardization, self-assessment is the main evaluation tool, and objective quantitative evaluation systems featuring a combination of subjective and objective indicators, multiple dimensions, and multiple participants remain imperfect.25,26 Surveys indicate that medical teachers’ self-perceived digital abilities are correlated with participation in structured training, higher interest in digital tools, and frequency of use. Training also plays an important role in shaping different groups’ acceptance of artificial intelligence. These findings provide research support for improving teachers’ digital literacy in the future.
The identified keyword bursts show that research hotspots have shifted from disease epidemics, early literacy and digital competence, interventions, and educational technologies toward target populations (university students and adolescents), competencies (digital literacy), disciplines (pedagogy), and ethical risks (risk factors). This indicates that although technologies such as artificial intelligence have brought about instructional reforms, their ethical and safety risks are receiving increasing attention.
4.4. Research Strengths and Limitations
This study focuses on a specialized subfield of medical education with high pertinence, filling the research gap due to existing bibliometric studies paying insufficient attention to the digital literacy of medical teachers. Using the WOS Core Collection, we draw on authoritative data with a clear time span to reflect international frontiers in the past five years. By combining bibliometrics and visualization methods, the study systematically reveals publication trends, research hotspots, and international collaboration patterns. However, this study relies on a single database (WOS) without including Scopus, PubMed, and other sources, thus featuring a limited coverage. Moreover, we only analyze works published in 2021–2025 without conducting historical evolution comparisons over a longer period. Finally, no in-depth cocitation analysis of the cited references and core literature has been performed.
5. Conclusion
A bibliometric analysis of research on the digital literacy of medical teachers published in 2021–2025 was conducted using the WOS as the sole data source, revealing that this research has experienced rapid growth over the past five years. The core themes revolve around the connotation of literacy, competency frameworks, and the pedagogical application of digital technologies. Research hotspots have shifted toward specific target groups, comprehensive literacy, teaching practice, and risk prevention and control. Insufficient international collaboration and the absence of an objective evaluation system are the main shortcomings. Future research should strengthen the applied implementation of artificial intelligence and big data in medical education, develop multidimensional and quantifiable digital literacy assessment tools tailored to medical contexts, and promote cross-border collaboration and localized innovation to enhance the digital literacy of medical teachers.
Footnotes
Ethical Considerations
Ethics committee approval was not required because this study was a retrospective bibliometric analysis of existing published studies.
Author Contributions
Shanshan Yu is the co-first author. Shiyu Wang and Shanshan Yu have contributed equally to this study. All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Shanshan Yu and You Wang. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Shiyu Wang and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. Shuang Wang and Jianliang Zhou critically revised the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Educational Research Project of Hubei Higher Education Society (Grant No. 2025XDY098); the Comprehensive Reform Project for Undergraduate Education Quality Construction of Wuhan University (Grant No. 2024ZG126, 2025ZG242); the Teaching Research Project of the Medical College of Wuhan University (Grant No. 2025ZD16, 2025ZD18, 2024YB44); the Clinical Medical Education Reform Project of the Hubei Provincial Health Commission (Grant No. HBJG-250020); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82270382); the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (Grant No. 2025BCB018); and the Innovation and Technology Fund of Zhongnan Hospital (Grant No. rcyj20210601).
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Data Availability Statement
The data analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Guarantor
Jianliang Zhou, the corresponding author, accepts full responsibility for the work and/or the conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish.