Objective To summarize the current state and focal points of research on Disease-Related Groups (DRG) within the nursing field,and to provide insights for nursing administrators exploring this area. Methods Literature on DRG in relation to nursing was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, and CBM databases, from database inception through April 1, 2024. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to examine the characteristics of the included studies, including publication year, journal, research institutions, funding sources, and research contents. Results A total of 61 articles were included, with the highest publication count in 2023 (20 articles). The number of publications has increased since 2019, with high-output cities including Beijing and Urumqi. Key research hotspots included the impact of DRG on nursing performance allocation, workload estimation, human resource distribution, nursing quality, and cost. Conclusion The importance of DRG in nursing is increasing, with its reverberations seen across various aspects of nursing work. It is essential to understand the dual impacts of DRG on each area, thoroughly analyze both opportunities and challenges, and match them to reforms in nursing management effectively.