Elderly patient safety in Intensive Care Unit: bibliometric analysis of international production Segurança do paciente idoso na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva: análise bibliométrica da produção internacional Seguridad del paciente anciano en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos: análisis bibliométrico de la producción internacional

Objective: to analyze the international scientific production on elderly patient safety in Intensive Care Unit. Method: bibliometric study carried out on ISI Web of Knowledge / Web of Science database, with the search terms: “Patient Safety”, “Elderly”, “Intensive Care Units”, performed from exporting these data for the bibliometric analysis software HistCite. Results: 103 publication records were identified, in 85 different journals, written by 679 authors that are associated with 224 institutions, located in 30 countries. In analysis of number of citations count, the hindex value is equal to 24. Conclusion: the theme is presented in a broad and diverse way, without demonstrating the existence of a good articulation among the studies, authors and institutions around the world. There is a need to construct knowledge networks in the field that make possible further studies able to contribute to improve elderly patient safety in intensive care. Descriptors: Patient Safety. Elderly. Intensive Care Units. RESUMO Objetivo: analisar a produção científica internacional sobre segurança do paciente idoso na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Método: pesquisa bibliométrica realizada na base de dados ISI Web of Knowledge / Web of Science, com os termos de busca: “Patient Safety”, “Elderly”, “Intensive Care Units”, efetuada a partir da exportação destes dados para o software de análise bibliométrica HistCite. Resultados: identificados 103 registros de publicações, em 85 periódicos distintos, escritos por 679 autores que possuem vínculos com 224 instituições, localizados em 30 países. Na análise da contagem do número de citações, o valor do h-index é igual a 24. Conclusão: o tema é apresentado de forma ampla e diversificada, sem demonstrar a existência de boa articulação entre os estudos, autores e instituições de todo o mundo. Há necessidade de construção de redes de conhecimento na área que possibilitem mais estudos capazes de contribuir para melhoria da segurança do idoso na terapia intensiva. Descritores: Segurança do Paciente. Idoso. Unidades de Terapia Intensiva.


INTRODUCTION
Patient safety is the risk reduction of unnecessary damage associated with healthcare process up to an acceptable minimum. The acceptable damage, minimally, concerns what is possible in the current knowledge, of which is available as resources and of the situational framework that the provided care is found. The risk of nontreatment or of another therapy, with the intention of reducing unsafe practices in care processes through the best actions described in order to reach the best possible results for the patient, is characterized as a strategic and continuous reduction of the potential damage in care process. [1][2] The patient safety is essential for the healthcare quality because it comprises attitudes that are intended to manage and prevent risks of which patients are exposed. 3 Transformations and advancements occur permanently, in health, and they allow improving processes and services provided to public.
Moreover, it is realized that the patient safety in the last decades has provoked a constant debate that demonstrates how necessary the involvement among the welfare, patient's quality of live and provided care is. 4 The population aging is among the highlights in the current century, with the growth index of elderly individuals in the world being around 3% a year, and it is estimated that in 2050 this population will be formed by 2. There is a high utilization of healthcare by the elderly especially in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). This is evidenced by the increase of average age in these units, which demands more attention for health professionals with the real effectiveness of treatment and care provided to this age group. 8-9 These environments require more technology to attend patients that are serious, complex and exposed to invasive procedures. 10 Thus, the concern with the elderly patient safety in ICUs is notorious and growing, generating the increase of studies on the theme. [10][11] The evidences show that the adverse Considering these issues, it is opportune that the scientific production of studies on elderly patient safety in ICU be analyzed and broadened. The found works were refined by filter, document type, and 103 articles were found. The articles published in annals of events or under edit (Conference Proceedings) and records resulting from "proceedings papers", "editorial material" and "letter". Complete works "article" and "review" were included.
The material processing and analysis were performed from exporting these data for the HistCite TM software. The analysis of selected articles followed the three suggested proceedings: the definition of database; the data collection and data presentation and analysis. [13][14] The

RESULTS
The fist article published on the theme was in 1991. Therefore, only studies published in the period from 1991 to 2018 were considered.   Teresina -PI, 2019.
Source: Own elaboration from data from Web of Science TM .   To deepen representativeness of countries of origin of the institutions in which 85 authors of 103 works mapped in this bibliometric study were associated with, the countries with the most scientific production on elderly patient safety in ICU were identified, which can be observed in Table 3.