Objective To analyze the research hotspots and development trends of hospital scientific research management in China, and to provide references for the innovation and development of hospital scientific research management in China. Methods The CNKI database was electronically searched to collect relevant research on scientific research management of domestic hospitals from January 1981 to September 2022. Bibliometrics and CiteSpace software were used for analyze. Results A total of 2 688 articles were included. The trend of publishing hospital scientific research management literature showed four peaks. The institution with the most publications was Peking University People's Hospital. Six authors published more than 15 articles. The most concerned was clinical research. Public hospitals, scientific research projects, and refined management were the latest emerging words. Conclusion The scientific research management of hospitals in China has formed an academic exchange group, but the core author group is small, and there is a lack of cross-institutional cooperation. The innovation mode of scientific research management shows a good development trend, the quantitative index system of scientific research evaluation at all levels is gradually improved, the ability to identify the potential of scientific research talent has been improved, and the cultivation of scientific research management teams needs to be strengthened.