Joshua Wanga, Kuo‑Wang Tsaia,b, Kuo‑Cheng Luc,d*
aDepartment of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan, bDepartment of Nursing, Cardinal Tien Junior College of Healthcare and Management, New Taipei, Taiwan, cDivision of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan, dDivision of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan
Open Access funded by Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation
Abstract
Objectives: TriNetX is a global network of deidentified electronic health record data that participating healthcare institutions can access and analyze. Despite its potential to build research capacity, the research produced using this network has not yet been independently analyzed. This study aims to characterize the research outputs produced by Taiwan‑affiliated authors analyzing TriNetX data. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was performed to identify peer‑reviewed Science Citation Index Expanded indexed publications with Taiwan‑affiliated authors. The articles were screened and included if they were based on an analysis of data from the TriNetX platform. A bibliometric analysis was then performed to examine the composition of authorship teams, collaborations between countries/institutions, the medical specialties present, and the rankings of journals that published the articles. Results: Ninety‑two studies with Taiwan affiliations using TriNetX were identified and included. An exponential increase in publications between 2022 and 2024 was identified. 75 (81.52%) of the articles were published in Q1 journals. Most medical specialties were represented in the dataset, with many Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology publications present. Chung Shan Medical University Hospital and Chi Mei Medical Center were identified as influential institutions that accounted for most of the publications. Conclusion: TriNetX is used regularly by Taiwan‑based clinical researchers to conduct impactful research across a variety of medical specialties. The platform will play an increasingly important role in Taiwan’s medical research. Further studies examining how TriNetX is utilized before publication are needed to better understand how the network influences research capacity building in Taiwan hospitals.
Keywords: Bibliometric analysis, Big clinical data, Research capacity building, Taiwan, TriNetX
