Reconstructing healthcare networks from patient transfer data: a systematic review

Healthcare facilities are interconnected via patient transfers, facilitating pathogen spread. We systematically reviewed studies reconstructing patient-sharing networks. We searched PubMed, Scopus and IEEE Xplore up to October, 2025, identifying articles that presented networks of at least three healthcare facilities or units connected by observed patient transfers, excluding those restricted to specific patient groups. 79 articles were included from 5,721 screened, describing 50 distinct networks published across diverse disciplines. Overall confidence in study findings, assessed through a modified QuADS tool, was good. Most networks were reconstructed in Europe and North America. Nursing homes and rehabilitation centers were rarely included, and few studies used temporal network approaches. Although most articles computed descriptive statistics and network metrics, only 27 (34%) developed mathematical models of pathogen transmission. Overall, this review highlights the value of patient-sharing networks for understanding and controlling pathogen spread, while emphasizing the need for broader facility inclusion and more temporal modeling.