Innovation and entrepreneurship education for medical students: a global bibliometric analysis (2000-2024).

College students are important contributors to global innovation and entrepreneurship, making it increasingly important to improve related education, especially in medical schools. However, challenges remain due to the specific nature of medical training, economic differences across countries, and the lack of a well-developed system. In some regions, limited understanding has led to ineffective efforts and poor results, which has hindered progress, underscoring the need for a strategic, context-aware approach to innovation and entrepreneurship education in medical schools. This study employs bibliometric methods including Microsoft Excel, CiteSpace, VOSviewer and R language package of Bibliometricx software to analyze global publications published on Web of Science database from 2000 to 4 December 2024.The findings indicate that innovation and entrepreneurship education for medical students began later than in other fields and has faced implementation challenges. Publication trends align with national policies and significant events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed countries dominate this field, while international collaboration has exacerbated regional disparities. Higher medical schools remain the primary contributors, reflecting the limited scope of this research area. Current studies emphasize the learning aspects of medical education but insufficiently address students' innovation and entrepreneurship abilities. The results also highlight critical gaps in current education models and suggest that integrating innovation and entrepreneurship more comprehensively into medical curricula is crucial for preparing students for the evolving healthcare landscape.Medical education must adopt an interdisciplinary approach, as global public health developments have shaped its trajectory. This study informs health policy by showing that innovation and entrepreneurship education strengthens medical students' ability to address global health challenges. It provides guidance for curriculum integration through interdisciplinary and context-driven approaches, underscoring the need to cultivate a culture of innovation to advance medical education and global health outcomes.