POSTPARTUM GOVERNANCE IN GLOBAL SCHOLARSHIP : A BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY OF RESEARCH TRENDS AND INTELLECTUAL STRUCTURES (2012–2025)

Abstract

Background: The postpartum period represents a critical stage in the continuum of maternal and newborn health, yet it has historically received less attention in health policy and research compared with antenatal and intrapartum care. Existing studies largely focus on clinical outcomes, while governance structures shaping the organization, coordination, and delivery of postpartum services remain insufficiently examined. Purpose This study aims to map the intellectual structure and global research trends of postpartum governance within maternal health scholarship. Method: A quantitative bibliometric design was used to analyze global research indexed in the Scopus database between 2012 and 2025. The search strategy applied a TITLE-ABS-KEY query combining postpartum-related terms with governance and health service concepts. After screening and eligibility filtering, 417 peer-reviewed journal articles were included in the final dataset. Bibliometric analysis using the Bibliometrix R package and Biblioshiny interface examined publication sources, authorship and international collaboration patterns, and the conceptual structure of the literature through keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and thematic evolution analyses.  Results: The findings indicate that research on postpartum governance is expanding across maternal health, public health, and health services research journals, although governance-related themes remain less consolidated than dominant clinical topics.  Conclusion: Postpartum governance is emerging as an interdisciplinary research domain linking maternal health care with broader health system organization and service delivery perspectives. This bibliometric mapping provides empirical evidence to support future research and inform policy discussions on strengthening governance and coordination in postpartum care.