Can Users Search Trends Predict People Scares or Disease Breakout? An Examination of Infectious Skin Diseases in the United States

Background: In health and medicine, people heavily use the Internet to search for information about symptoms, diseases, and treatments. As such, the Internet information can simulate expert medical doctors, pharmacists, and other health care providers. Aim: This article aims to evaluate a dataset of search terms to determine whether search queries and terms can be used to reliably predict skin disease breakouts. Furthermore, the authors propose and evaluate a model to decide when to declare a particular month as Epidemic at the US national level. Methods: A Model was designed to distinguish a breakout in skin diseases based on the number of monthly discovered cases. To apply this model, the authors correlated Google Trends of popular search terms with monthly reported Rubella and Measles cases from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Regressions and decision trees were used to determine the impact of different terms to trigger the occurrence of epidemic classes. Results: Results showed that the volume of search keywords for Rubella and Measles rises when the volume of those reported diseases rises. Results also implied that the overall process was successful and should be repeated with other diseases. Such process can trigger different actions or activities to be taken when a certain month is declared as “Epidemic.” Furthermore, this research has shown great interest for vaccination against Measles and Rubella. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the search queries and keyword trends can be truly reliable to be used for the prediction of disease outbreaks and some other related knowledge extraction applications. Also search-term surveillance can provide an additional tool for infectious disease surveillance. Future research needs to re-apply the model used in this article, and researchers need to question whether characterizing the epidemiology of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic waves in United States can be done through search queries and keyword trends.

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The Impact of a Highly Publicized Celebrity Suicide on Suicide-Related Online Information Seeking

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000455 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 207-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Florian Arendt ◽

Sebastian Scherr

Keyword(s):

Suicide Prevention ◽

Information Seeking ◽

The Internet ◽

Online Information ◽

Search Queries ◽

Related Information ◽

Search Terms ◽

Celebrity Suicide ◽

Online Information Seeking ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Background: Research has already acknowledged the importance of the Internet in suicide prevention as search engines such as Google are increasingly used in seeking both helpful and harmful suicide-related information. Aims: We aimed to assess the impact of a highly publicized suicide by a Hollywood actor on suicide-related online information seeking. Method: We tested the impact of the highly publicized suicide of Robin Williams on volumes of suicide-related search queries. Results: Both harmful and helpful search terms increased immediately after the actor's suicide, with a substantial jump of harmful queries. Limitations: The study has limitations (e.g., possible validity threats of the query share measure, use of ambiguous search terms). Conclusion: Online suicide prevention efforts should try to increase online users' awareness of and motivation to seek help, for which Google's own helpline box could play an even more crucial role in the future.

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Searching and Making Meaning of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives of African Immigrants in the United States

Journal of Humanistic Psychology ◽

10.1177/00221678211022442 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002216782110224

Author(s):

Angela U. Ekwonye ◽

Nina Truong

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Meaning Making ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Central Africa ◽

African Immigrants ◽

The United States ◽

Care Providers ◽

Making Meaning ◽

The Impact

African immigrants continue to be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unclear how they are searching for and finding meaning in the face of this adversity. This study sought to understand how African immigrants in the United States are searching for and making meaning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted in-depth interviews remotely with 20 immigrants from West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana), East Africa (Somali and Rwanda), and Central Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo). The meaning-making model was used as a framework to understand the processes of coping during a significant, adverse life event. The study found that some participants attempted to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their global meaning by seeking answers as to why the pandemic occurred and creating positive illusions. Some redefined their priorities and reframed the pandemic in a positive light. Participants found meaning in the form of accepting the pandemic as a reality of life, appreciating events previously taken for granted, and making positive changes in their lives. This study’s findings can inform health care providers of the meaning-making processes of African immigrants’ and the need to assist them in their search for meaning.

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A Scoping Review of Trauma-Informed Curricula for Primary Care Providers

Family Medicine ◽

10.22454/fammed.2021.500263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 53 (10) ◽

pp. 843-856

Author(s):

Constance Gundacker ◽

Tyler W. Barreto ◽

Julie P. Phillips

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Primary Care Providers ◽

The United States ◽

Traumatic Experiences ◽

Search Term ◽

Care Providers ◽

Trauma Informed ◽

The Impact

Background and Objectives: Traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction have a lifetime prevalence of 62%-75% and can negatively impact health outcomes. However, many primary care providers (PCPs) are inadequately prepared to treat patients with trauma due to a lack of training. Our objective was to identify trauma-informed approach curricula for PCPs, review their effectiveness, and identify gaps. Methods: We systematically identified articles from Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, Cochrane, PsycINFO, MedEd Portal, and the STFM Resource Library. Search term headings “trauma-informed care (TIC),” “resilience,” “patient-centered care,” “primary care,” and “education.” Inclusion criteria were PCP, pediatric and adult patients, and training evaluation. Exclusion criteria were outside the United States, non-English articles, non-PCPs, and inpatient settings. We used the TIC pyramid to extract topics. We analyzed evaluation methods using the Kirkpatrick Model. Results: Researchers reviewed 6,825 articles and identified 17 different curricula. Understanding health effects of trauma was the most common topic (94%). Evaluation data revealed overall positive reactions and improved knowledge, attitudes, and confidence. Half (53%) reported Kirkpatrick level 3 behavior change evaluation outcomes with increased trauma screening and communication, but no change in referrals. Only 12% (2/17) evaluated Kirkpatrick level 4 patient satisfaction (significant results) and health outcomes (not significant). Conclusions: Pilot findings from studies in our review show trauma-informed curricula for PCPs reveal positive reactions, an increase in knowledge, screening, communication, and patient satisfaction, but no change in referrals or health outcomes. Further research is needed to examine the impact of trainings on quality of care and health outcomes.

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Epilogue

10.5406/illinois/9780252039096.003.0010 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Sphere ◽

The United States ◽

The Internet ◽

Formal Schooling ◽

The Public ◽

Polish Language ◽

The Media ◽

The Public Sphere ◽

The Impact

This epilogue comments on the changes within the Polish American community and the Polish-language press during the most recent decades, including the impact of the Internet and social media on the practice of letter-writing. It also poses questions about the legacy and memory of Paryski in Toledo, Ohio, and in Polonia scholarship. Paryski's life and career were based on his intelligence, determination, and energy. He believed that Poles in the United States, as in Poland, must benefit from education, and that education was not necessarily the same as formal schooling. Anybody could embark on the path to self-improvement if they read and wrote. Long before the Internet changed the way we communicate, Paryski and other ethnic editors effectively adopted and practiced the concept of debate within the public sphere in the media. Ameryka-Echo's “Corner for Everybody” was an embodiment of this concept and allowed all to express themselves in their own language and to write what was on their minds.

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Online Search Behaviour of Seeking Support for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Its Impact on Unemployment Level of the United States: Evidence from Google Search Queries (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16436 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Chamil W Senarathne ◽

Wei Jianguo

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Aggregate Data ◽

Online Search ◽

Search Behaviour ◽

Search Queries ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Google Search ◽

The Impact ◽

Age Category

BACKGROUND People have access to a massive volume of up-to-date health information processed by various search engines. Before seeing a doctor, people are used to seek information about identification and support available (e.g. doctors, support centers. forum discussions etc.) for their disorder/s online. Researchers have shown that Internet search queries contain much valuable information about the disequilibrium dynamics of various economics activities (e.g. employment, consumption). OCD as a disorder steals much of the valuable time, energy and effort in day-to-day work life and scholars argues that patients diagnosed with OCD may have higher unemployment rates and lower average income. Except for a handful of work examining the relationship between various disorders (e.g. cancer) and online search volume data, the direct linkage between online search behaviour of seeking support for OCD and unemployment in the United States has been completely ignored in the literature. OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of online search behaviour of identifying and seeking support for OCD on unemployment level of the United States at aggregate data and age category level. METHODS This paper analyzes 50 closely related online search terms on identifying and seeking support for OCD from March 2006 to June 2019. Ordinary least squares technique is used to identify the significance of the impact of search behaviour on the unemployment levels of the United States. After screening for instrumentality, a reduced version of regression is derived after treating for multicollinearity among regression variables. In order to eliminate the effect of searches made by people other than employed people who have subsequently been unemployed, a diagnostic regression is run. RESULTS The findings show that online search behaviour of identifying and seeking support for OCD significantly impacts unemployment level of the United States at overall regression level (p<0.01, R^2=73%) and age category level regressions (p<0.01, average R^2=66%). Moreover, the diagnostic test confirms that the regression on aggregate data and age category level data properly explains the underlying relationship as hypothesized because the coefficient of Google search queries driven (the effect) by employed population is positive and highly significant in explaining the unemployment level of the United States (p<0.01, average R^2=90%). CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study are helpful for policymakers and regulators in providing useful inputs for designing and administering programms on prevention and counseling OCD diagnosed working population of the United States. In particular, this paper is helpful in identifying the age categories of male and female employed population who are searching and seeking support on OCD. The government institutions in the USA must utilize online search queries for effective analysis and identification of different age category of people who are in need of support. Since search query data are available at country-level and regional level, this could easily be done by IT rather than population surveys that are costly and time consuming.

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Flattening the Mental Health Curve: COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders Are Associated With Alterations in Mental Health Search Behavior in the United States

JMIR Mental Health ◽

10.2196/19347 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. e19347 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Nicholas C Jacobson ◽

Damien Lekkas ◽

George Price ◽

Michael V Heinz ◽

Minkeun Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United States ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

The United States ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Search Queries ◽

Negative Thoughts ◽

The Impact ◽

At Home

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to dramatic changes worldwide in people’s everyday lives. To combat the pandemic, many governments have implemented social distancing, quarantine, and stay-at-home orders. There is limited research on the impact of such extreme measures on mental health. Objective The goal of this study was to examine whether stay-at-home orders produced differential changes in mental health symptoms using internet search queries on a national scale. Methods In the United States, individual states vary in their adoption of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19; as of March 23, 2020, 11 of the 50 states had issued stay-at-home orders. The staggered rollout of stay-at-home measures across the United States allows us to investigate whether these measures impact mental health by exploring variations in mental health search queries across the states. This paper examines the changes in mental health search queries on Google between March 16-23, 2020, across each state and Washington, DC. Specifically, this paper examines differential changes in mental health searches based on patterns of search activity following issuance of stay-at-home orders in these states compared to all other states. The participants were all the people who searched mental health terms in Google between March 16-23. Between March 16-23, 11 states underwent stay-at-home orders to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Outcomes included search terms measuring anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive, negative thoughts, irritability, fatigue, anhedonia, concentration, insomnia, and suicidal ideation. Results Analyzing over 10 million search queries using generalized additive mixed models, the results suggested that the implementation of stay-at-home orders are associated with a significant flattening of the curve for searches for suicidal ideation, anxiety, negative thoughts, and sleep disturbances, with the most prominent flattening associated with suicidal ideation and anxiety. Conclusions These results suggest that, despite decreased social contact, mental health search queries increased rapidly prior to the issuance of stay-at-home orders, and these changes dissipated following the announcement and enactment of these orders. Although more research is needed to examine sustained effects, these results suggest mental health symptoms were associated with an immediate leveling off following the issuance of stay-at-home orders.

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Flattening the Mental Health Curve: COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders Are Associated With Alterations in Mental Health Search Behavior in the United States (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.19347 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nicholas C Jacobson ◽

Damien Lekkas ◽

George Price ◽

Michael V Heinz ◽

Minkeun Song ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United States ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

The United States ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Search Queries ◽

Negative Thoughts ◽

The Impact ◽

At Home

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to dramatic changes worldwide in people’s everyday lives. To combat the pandemic, many governments have implemented social distancing, quarantine, and stay-at-home orders. There is limited research on the impact of such extreme measures on mental health. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to examine whether stay-at-home orders produced differential changes in mental health symptoms using internet search queries on a national scale. METHODS In the United States, individual states vary in their adoption of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19; as of March 23, 2020, 11 of the 50 states had issued stay-at-home orders. The staggered rollout of stay-at-home measures across the United States allows us to investigate whether these measures impact mental health by exploring variations in mental health search queries across the states. This paper examines the changes in mental health search queries on Google between March 16-23, 2020, across each state and Washington, DC. Specifically, this paper examines differential changes in mental health searches based on patterns of search activity following issuance of stay-at-home orders in these states compared to all other states. The participants were all the people who searched mental health terms in Google between March 16-23. Between March 16-23, 11 states underwent stay-at-home orders to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Outcomes included search terms measuring anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive, negative thoughts, irritability, fatigue, anhedonia, concentration, insomnia, and suicidal ideation. RESULTS Analyzing over 10 million search queries using generalized additive mixed models, the results suggested that the implementation of stay-at-home orders are associated with a significant flattening of the curve for searches for suicidal ideation, anxiety, negative thoughts, and sleep disturbances, with the most prominent flattening associated with suicidal ideation and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that, despite decreased social contact, mental health search queries increased rapidly prior to the issuance of stay-at-home orders, and these changes dissipated following the announcement and enactment of these orders. Although more research is needed to examine sustained effects, these results suggest mental health symptoms were associated with an immediate leveling off following the issuance of stay-at-home orders.

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Pre- and Midtrial Publicity in the Age of Internet and Social Media

10.1093/oso/9780190658113.003.0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tarika Daftary-Kapur ◽

Steven D. Penrod

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Decision Making ◽

Social Media ◽

Internet Use ◽

The United States ◽

Juror Decision Making ◽

The Internet ◽

The Impact ◽

Internet And Social Media

Although juror misconduct has always been a concern, the prevalence of technology available to jurors has increased the ease with which jurors can improperly communicate with others, publish information regarding the trial, and conduct outside research on the case. This chapter discusses the role of the Internet and social media in the courtroom and how access to this information in the form of midtrial publicity might impact juror decision-making. Additionally, it discusses steps that have been taken by courts around the United States to address the issue of Internet use by jurors as well as recommendations to limit the impact of the Internet and social media on juror decision-making.

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Real-Time CDC Consultation during the COVID-19 Pandemic—United States, March–July 2020

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7251

Author(s):

Daniel Wozniczka ◽

Hanna B. Demeke ◽

Angela M. Thompson-Paul ◽

Ugonna Ijeoma ◽

Tonya Williams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

United States ◽

Real Time ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

The United States ◽

Public Health Workforce ◽

Source Population ◽

Local Health ◽

Care Providers ◽

The Impact

Context: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) clinicians provided real-time telephone consultation to healthcare providers, public health practitioners, and health department personnel. Objective: To describe the demographic and public health characteristics of inquiries, trends, and correlation of inquiries with national COVID-19 case reports. We summarize the results of real-time CDC clinician consultation service provided during 11 March to 31 July 2020 to understand the impact and utility of this service by CDC for the COVID-19 pandemic emergency response and for future outbreak responses. Design: Clinicians documented inquiries received including information about the call source, population for which guidance was sought, and a detailed description of the inquiry and resolution. Descriptive analyses were conducted, with a focus on characteristics of callers as well as public health and clinical content of inquiries. Setting: Real-time telephone consultations with CDC Clinicians in Atlanta, GA. Participants: Health care providers and public health professionals who called CDC with COVID-19 related inquiries from throughout the United States. Main Outcome Measures: Characteristics of inquiries including topic of inquiry, inquiry population, resolution, and demographic information. Results: A total of 3154 COVID-19 related telephone inquiries were answered in real-time. More than half (62.0%) of inquiries came from frontline healthcare providers and clinical sites, followed by 14.1% from state and local health departments. The majority of inquiries focused on issues involving healthcare workers (27.7%) and interpretation or application of CDC’s COVID-19 guidance (44%). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a substantial number of inquiries to CDC, with the large majority originating from the frontline clinical and public health workforce. Analysis of inquiries suggests that the ongoing focus on refining COVID-19 guidance documents is warranted, which facilitates bidirectional feedback between the public, medical professionals, and public health authorities.

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Revisiting the Fetal Assault Law in Tennessee: Implications and the Way Forward

Policy Politics & Nursing Practice ◽

10.1177/1527154421989994 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152715442198999

Author(s):

Caroline K. Darlington ◽

Peggy A. Compton ◽

Sadie P. Hutson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Drug Use ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Care Providers ◽

Opioid Use ◽

The Impact ◽

In Pregnancy

The rising prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among those living in the United States has demanded a collaborative response from health care and policy spheres. Addressing OUD among pregnant women is especially difficult, given the controversies surrounding the medical and ethical balance between meeting maternal versus fetal/newborn needs. Most medical organizations discourage the criminalization of drug use in pregnancy due to the adverse public health outcomes of such an approach. Despite this recommendation, many states continue to use punitive law to address drug use in pregnancy. In 2014, the Fetal Assault Law in Tennessee (TN) became the first law in the United States to directly allow women to be prosecuted for drug use in pregnancy. Since its expiration in 2016, this law has been re-introduced several times to the TN legislature in support of permanent implementation. This article outlines the impact of the initial Fetal Assault Law on maternal/newborn health in TN and provides alternative immediate, short-term, and long-term health policy strategies through which health care providers and legislators can better advocate for the well-being of both mothers with OUD and their infants.

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