Traces of Long-Term Care Insurance in the Literature: A Bibliometric Review
Yusuf Can ÇalışırNowadays, factors such as the ageing of the population and the prolongation of life expectancy make it mandatory to create effective social policies by considering the health and care needs of societies. This study evaluates research on long-term care insurance, which is an important determinant of social welfare, through bibliometric analysis, a quantitative research technique. On 25.08.2023, 1497 results were obtained by searching the concept of "long-term care insurance" in the Web of Science database. Because of the analysis, it was observed that the studies on long-term care insurance were distributed between 1984 and 2023. Among 112 different research fields, it was concluded that the most studies were conducted in the field of Gereontology (n=339). "Gerontologist" was the journal that published the highest number of studies (n=76) on long-term care. The National Centre for Geriatrics Gerontology published the most studies (n=103); Ichiro Tsuji is the author of the most studies with 53 publications. The report "2018 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures" is the most cited study. The study titled “Care-Needs Certification in Long-Term Care Insurance System of Japan”, carried out by Takako Tsutsui and Naoko Muramatsu (2005) independently of institutions, has the most citations. "Long-term care insurance" (n=332), "long-term care" (n=225) and "Japan" (n=104) are among the most frequently used keywords.
Uzun Dönemli Bakım Sigortasının Literatürdeki İzleri: Bibliyometrik Bir İnceleme
Yusuf Can ÇalışırGünümüzde, nüfusun yaşlanması ve yaşam süresinin uzaması gibi faktörler, toplumların sağlık ve bakım ihtiyaçlarını dikkate alarak etkili sosyal politikalar oluşturmayı zorunlu kılmaktadır. Bu çalışma, toplumsal refahın önemli belirleyicilerinden biri olan uzun dönemli bakım sigortasına yönelik olarak gerçekleştirilen çalışmaları nicel bir araştırma tekniği olan bibliyometrik analiz üzerinden değerlendirmiştir. 25.08.2023 tarihinde Web of Science veri tabanında “long-term care insurance” kavramı taratılarak 1497 sonuca ulaşılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler VOSviewer yazılım programı aracılığıyla işlenmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda uzun dönemli bakım sigortasına yönelik gerçekleştirilen çalışmaların 1984-2023 yılları arasında dağılım gösterdiği görülmüştür. 112 farklı araştırma alanı içerisinde en fazla çalışmanın Gerontoloji (n=339) alanında gerçekleştirildiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. En fazla yayın Japonya merkezli olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Uzun dönemli bakım konusunda en fazla (n=76) araştırma yayımlayan dergi ise “Gerontologist” olarak saptanmıştır. National Center For Geriatrics Gerontology en fazla çalışma (n=103) yayımlayan kurum; Ichiro Tsuji, 53 yayın ile en fazla araştırmada yer alan yazar konumundadır. “2018 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures” isimli rapor en fazla atıf yapılan çalışmadır. Kurumlardan bağımsız olarak Takako Tsutsui ve Naoko Muramatsu (2005) tarafından gerçekleştirilen “Care-Needs Certificatiom in Long-Term Care Insurance System of Japan” isimli çalışma ise en fazla atıfa sahiptir. “Long-term care insurance” (n=332), “long-term care” (n=225) ve “japan” (n=104) ise en sık kullanılan anahtar sözcükler arasındadır.
Long-term care is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Care services have become expensive and difficult to access. People are very likely to require long-term care at least once in their lifetime. This situation is a major financial risk, especially for countries with growing older adults populations. From this perspective, the issue of long-term care has received increasing attention in recent years and is likely to continue to do so.
Within the scope of this study, the basic dynamics of long-term care are discussed. Factors such as the increase in the elderly population, the rise in life expectancy, the spread of one-person households, the breakdown of family structures, and the increase in women’s labour force participation rates are clear facts that increase the need for long-term care. In this context, long-term care may require more professional care in the future, and the number of traditional unpaid family care providers may decrease.
The main objective of this study is to examine scientific studies on long-term care insurance using bibliometric analysis. Bibliometric analysis makes it possible to assess the breadth and quantity of research in the literature. Unlike a systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis is a functional method used to examine the literature through numbers. It is also increasingly used as a functional analysis tool to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the literature, to reveal gaps in the literature, and to identify widespread influences. The analysis conducted in this context provides a perspective for understanding the dynamics of long-term care insurance and assessing the current situation.
In 2023, 1497 articles were found in the Web of Science (WoS) database because of a search for the concept of "long-term care insurance". These data were analysed using VOSviewer software. Within the scope of this study, scientific publications on long-term care insurance between 1984 and 2023 were analysed. In the structuring phase of the study, an overview of long-term care insurance was presented. Then, the methodology and findings are explained in detail.
The results of the analysis show that interest in long-term care insurance has increased in recent years and that demographic trends are an important factor behind this increase. This interest has increased especially since the early 2000s. It is evident from the literature that there is a wide range of research on long-term care insurance. The existence of 112 different research areas proves this. On the other hand, scientific studies on long-term care insurance are generally concentrated in the field of health and are less interested in other research areas. This situation can be shown as a potential research area for future studies. More research is needed, especially in areas such as social policy and social security.
A closer look at the results obtained within the scope of the analysed studies shows that most of the studies are in the field of gerontology and are mostly based in Japan. However, Gerontologist is the journal that hosts the highest number of publications on long-term care insurance. The National Centre for Geriatrics Gerontology stands out as the institution that published the most studies.
Ichiro Tsuji was the author of most studies. The 2018 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures" is the most cited study, while Takako Tsutsui and Naoko Muramatsu’s (2005) "Care-Needs Certificate in Long-Term Care Insurance System of Japan" stands out as the most cited study.
Geographically, studies on long-term care insurance are concentrated in countries such as Japan, the United States, Germany, China, and South Korea. The absence of a study centred on Turkey indicates that long-term care insurance has not been adequately addressed in Turkey. Therefore, this situation reveals the need to understand the nature of long-term care insurance in Turkey. Within the scope of this study, the distribution of keywords in the field of long-term care insurance was also analysed. In this context, "long-term care insurance," "long-term care," and "Japan" are among the most frequently used keywords.
Indeed, it is clear that long-term care insurance needs to be further examined as a social need and that more research is needed in these areas. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research on long-term care insurance, identifying current trends and focal points in the literature. The results show that the public dimension of the issue needs to be given more prominence.
