scholarly journals Public Awareness of Uterine Power Morcellation Through US Food and Drug Administration Communications: Analysis of Google Trends Search Term Patterns (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren N Wood ◽  
Juzar Jamnagerwalla ◽  
Melissa A Markowitz ◽  
D Joseph Thum ◽  
Philip McCarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Power Morcellation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Uterine power morcellation, where the uterus is shred into smaller pieces, is a widely used technique for removal of uterine specimens in patients undergoing minimally invasive abdominal hysterectomy or myomectomy. Complications related to power morcellation of uterine specimens led to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) communications in 2014 ultimately recommending against the use of power morcellation for women undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy. Subsequently, practitioners drastically decreased the use of morcellation. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine the effect of increased patient awareness on the decrease in use of the morcellator. Google Trends is a public tool that provides data on temporal patterns of search terms, and we correlated this data with the timing of the FDA communication. METHODS Weekly relative search volume (RSV) was obtained from Google Trends using the term “morcellation.” Higher RSV corresponds to increases in weekly search volume. Search volumes were divided into 3 groups: the 2 years prior to the FDA communication, a 1-year period following, and thereafter, with the distribution of the weekly RSV over the 3 periods tested using 1-way analysis of variance. Additionally, we analyzed the total number of websites containing the term “morcellation” over this time. RESULTS The mean RSV prior to the FDA communication was 12.0 (SD 15.8), with the RSV being 60.3 (SD 24.7) in the 1-year after and 19.3 (SD 5.2) thereafter (P<.001). The mean number of webpages containing the term “morcellation” in 2011 was 10,800, rising to 18,800 during 2014 and 36,200 in 2017. CONCLUSIONS Google search activity about morcellation of uterine specimens increased significantly after the FDA communications. This trend indicates an increased public awareness regarding morcellation and its complications. More extensive preoperative counseling and alteration of surgical technique and clinician practice may be necessary.

scholarly journals Using Application Programming Interfaces to Access Google Data for Health Research: Protocol for a Methodological Framework (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Zepecki ◽  
Sylvia Guendelman ◽  
John DeNero ◽  
Ndola Prata
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Birth Control ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Application Programming ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Individuals are increasingly turning to search engines like Google to obtain health information and access resources. Analysis of Google search queries offers a novel approach, which is part of the methodological toolkit for infodemiology or infoveillance researchers, to understanding population health concerns and needs in real time or near-real time. While searches predominantly have been examined with the Google Trends website tool, newer application programming interfaces (APIs) are now available to academics to draw a richer landscape of searches. These APIs allow users to write code in languages like Python to retrieve sample data directly from Google servers. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel protocol to determine the top queries, volume of queries, and the top sites reached by a population searching on the web for a specific health term. The protocol retrieves Google search data obtained from three Google APIs: Google Trends, Google Health Trends (also referred to as Flu Trends), and Google Custom Search. METHODS Our protocol consisted of four steps: (1) developing a master list of top search queries for an initial search term using Google Trends, (2) gathering information on relative search volume using Google Health Trends, (3) determining the most popular sites using Google Custom Search, and (4) calculating estimated total search volume. We tested the protocol following key procedures at each step and verified its usefulness by examining search traffic on <i>birth control</i> in 2017 in the United States. Two separate programmers working independently achieved similar results with insignificant variation due to sample variability. RESULTS We successfully tested the methodology on the initial search term <i>birth control</i>. We identified top search queries for <i>birth control</i>, of which <i>birth control pill</i> was the most popular and obtained the relative and estimated total search volume for the top queries: relative search volume was 0.54 for the pill, corresponding to an estimated 9.3-10.7 million searches. We used the estimates of the proportion of search activity for the top queries to arrive at a generated list of the most popular websites: for the pill, the Planned Parenthood website was the top site. CONCLUSIONS The proposed methodological framework demonstrates how to retrieve Google query data from multiple Google APIs and provides thorough documentation required to systematically identify search queries and websites, as well as estimate relative and total search volume of queries in real time or near-real time in specific locations and time periods. Although the protocol needs further testing, it allows researchers to replicate the steps and shows promise in advancing our understanding of population-level health concerns. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/16543

scholarly journals Global Internet Data on the Interest in Antibiotics and Probiotics Generated by Google Trends

Antibiotics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikołaj Kamiński ◽  
Igor Łoniewski ◽  
Wojciech Marlicz
Keyword(s):  
Health Expenditure ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Antibiotic Consumption ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Spearman Rank Correlation Analysis ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

Data from the Google search engine enables the assessment of Google users’ interest in a specific topic. We analyzed the world trends in searches associated with the topics “antibiotics” and “probiotics” from January 2004 to June 2019, using Google Trends. We analyzed the yearly trends and seasonal variation. We performed an R-Spearman rank correlation analysis of the relative search volume (RSV) of the topics in 2015 with antibiotic consumption, health expenditure per capita, and the 2015 Human Development Index (HDI) of the country. The mean interest in the topic of antibiotics was equal to RSV = 57.5 ± 17.9, rising by 3.7 RSV/year (6.5%/year), while that of probiotics was RSV = 14.1 ± 7.9, which rose by 1.7 RSV/year (12.1%). The seasonal amplitude of antibiotics was equal to RSV = 9.8, while probiotics was RSV = 2.7. The seasonal peaks for both topics were observed in the cold months. The RSV of probiotics, but not antibiotics, was associated with antibiotic consumption (Rs = 0.35; p < 0.01), health expenditure (Rs = 0.41; p < 0.001), and HDI (Rs = 0.44; p < 0.001). Google users’ interest in antibiotic- and probiotic-related information increases from year to year, and peaks in cold months. The interest in probiotic-related information might be associated with antibiotic consumption, health expenditure, and the development status of the Google users’ country.

scholarly journals Analysis of public search interest towards immune system improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic using Google Trends

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 414
Author(s):  
Linda Amelia ◽  
Rizma Adlia Syakurah
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
System Improvement ◽  
Time Lag Correlation

In combating COVID-19, maintaining the immune system is important. Providing this information to the general population will increase public awareness towards improving their immune system. The use of Google Trends for exploring web behavior related to a topic or search term also considered as a tool for monitoring public awareness to help risk communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the use of Google Trends to monitor public awareness to immune system improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. This quantitative and qualitative research used time-series data from 31 December 2019 to 2 May 2020. The time-lag correlation analysis was performed to compare between relative search volume (RSV) of “Vitamin C”, “Vaksin” (Vaccine), “Berjemur” (Sunbathing) from Google Trends (GT), and the number of reported COVID-19 new cases. Validation using time-lag correlation shows the significant correlation between RSV keywords related to public awareness towards immune system improvement and the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia in 1-3 days before an increase in the number of cases occurs. Google Trends has the potential to become an early warning system and a tool for monitoring risk communication towards immune system improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic by Indonesia Government.

scholarly journals Using Application Programming Interfaces to Access Google Data for Health Research: Protocol for a Methodological Framework

10.2196/16543 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e16543
Author(s):  
Anne Zepecki ◽  
Sylvia Guendelman ◽  
John DeNero ◽  
Ndola Prata
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Birth Control ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Application Programming ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

Background Individuals are increasingly turning to search engines like Google to obtain health information and access resources. Analysis of Google search queries offers a novel approach, which is part of the methodological toolkit for infodemiology or infoveillance researchers, to understanding population health concerns and needs in real time or near-real time. While searches predominantly have been examined with the Google Trends website tool, newer application programming interfaces (APIs) are now available to academics to draw a richer landscape of searches. These APIs allow users to write code in languages like Python to retrieve sample data directly from Google servers. Objective The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel protocol to determine the top queries, volume of queries, and the top sites reached by a population searching on the web for a specific health term. The protocol retrieves Google search data obtained from three Google APIs: Google Trends, Google Health Trends (also referred to as Flu Trends), and Google Custom Search. Methods Our protocol consisted of four steps: (1) developing a master list of top search queries for an initial search term using Google Trends, (2) gathering information on relative search volume using Google Health Trends, (3) determining the most popular sites using Google Custom Search, and (4) calculating estimated total search volume. We tested the protocol following key procedures at each step and verified its usefulness by examining search traffic on birth control in 2017 in the United States. Two separate programmers working independently achieved similar results with insignificant variation due to sample variability. Results We successfully tested the methodology on the initial search term birth control. We identified top search queries for birth control, of which birth control pill was the most popular and obtained the relative and estimated total search volume for the top queries: relative search volume was 0.54 for the pill, corresponding to an estimated 9.3-10.7 million searches. We used the estimates of the proportion of search activity for the top queries to arrive at a generated list of the most popular websites: for the pill, the Planned Parenthood website was the top site. Conclusions The proposed methodological framework demonstrates how to retrieve Google query data from multiple Google APIs and provides thorough documentation required to systematically identify search queries and websites, as well as estimate relative and total search volume of queries in real time or near-real time in specific locations and time periods. Although the protocol needs further testing, it allows researchers to replicate the steps and shows promise in advancing our understanding of population-level health concerns. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/16543

scholarly journals Infodemiology of systemic lupus erythematous using Google Trends

Lupus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 886-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Radin ◽  
S Sciascia
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Kendall Test ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Data Monitoring ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Systemic Lupus ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Google Search

Objective People affected by chronic rheumatic conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), frequently rely on the Internet and search engines to look for terms related to their disease and its possible causes, symptoms and treatments. ‘Infodemiology’ and ‘infoveillance’ are two recent terms created to describe a new developing approach for public health, based on Big Data monitoring and data mining. In this study, we aim to investigate trends of Internet research linked to SLE and symptoms associated with the disease, applying a Big Data monitoring approach. Methods We analysed the large amount of data generated by Google Trends, considering ‘lupus’, ‘relapse’ and ‘fatigue’ in a 10-year web-based research. Google Trends automatically normalized data for the overall number of searches, and presented them as relative search volumes, in order to compare variations of different search terms across regions and periods. The Menn–Kendall test was used to evaluate the overall seasonal trend of each search term and possible correlation between search terms. Results We observed a seasonality for Google search volumes for lupus-related terms. In the Northern hemisphere, relative search volumes for ‘lupus’ were correlated with ‘relapse’ (τ = 0.85; p = 0.019) and with fatigue (τ = 0.82; p = 0.003), whereas in the Southern hemisphere we observed a significant correlation between ‘fatigue’ and ‘relapse’ (τ = 0.85; p = 0.018). Similarly, a significant correlation between ‘fatigue’ and ‘relapse’ (τ = 0.70; p < 0.001) was seen also in the Northern hemisphere. Conclusion Despite the intrinsic limitations of this approach, Internet-acquired data might represent a real-time surveillance tool and an alert for healthcare systems in order to plan the most appropriate resources in specific moments with higher disease burden.

DOZ047.115: Quality and readability of esophageal atresia information on the Internet

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B R O’Connor ◽  
E Doherty ◽  
F Friedmacher ◽  
L Vernon ◽  
T S Paran
Keyword(s):  
Esophageal Atresia ◽  
Oesophageal Atresia ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Flesch Reading Ease ◽  
Ease Score ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Google Search

Abstract Introduction Increasingly in pediatric surgical practice, patients, their parents, and surgeons alike use the Internet as an easily and quickly accessible source of information about conditions and their treatment. The quality and reliability of this information may often be unregulated. We aim to objectively assess the online information available relating to esophageal atresia and its management. Methods We performed searches for ‘oesophageal atresia’ and ‘esophageal atresia’ using the Google, Yahoo, and Bing engines to encompass both European and American spellings. We assessed the first 20 results of each search and excluded duplicates or unrelated pages. The DISCERN score and the Health on the Net Foundation Code (HONcode) toolbar were utilized to assess the quality of information on each website. We evaluated readability with the Flesch reading ease (FRE) and the Flesch–Kincaid grade (FKG). Results Of the original 120 hits, 61 were excluded (51 duplicates, 10 unrelated). Out of 59 individual sites reviewed, only 13 sites were HONcode approved. The mean overall DISCERN score was 52.55 (range: 22–78). The mean DISCERN score for the search term ‘oesphageal atresia’ was 57 (range: 22–78) in comparison to 59.03 for ‘esophageal atresia’ (range: 27–78). Google search had the lowest overall mean DISCERN score at 54.83 (range: 35–78), followed by Yahoo at 58.03 (range: 22–78), and Bing with the highest overall mean score of 61.2 (range: 27–78). The majority of websites were graded excellent (≥63) or good (51–62), 43% and 27%, respectively; 20% were scored as fair (39–50), with 10% being either poor (27–38) or very poor (≤26). In terms of readability, the overall Flesch Reading Ease score was 33.02, and the overall Flesch–Kincaid grade level was 10.3. Conclusions The quality of freely available online information relating to esophageal atresia is generally good but may not be accessible to everyone due to being relatively difficult to read. We should direct parents towards comprehensive, high-quality, and easily readable information sources should they wish to supplement their knowledge about esophageal atresia and its management.

Trajectories of Injectable Cancer Drug Costs After Launch in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noa Gordon ◽  
Salomon M. Stemmer ◽  
Dan Greenberg ◽  
Daniel A. Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Drug Administration ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drug Costs ◽  
Cancer Drug ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Drug Prices ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Over Time

Purpose Cancer drug prices at launch have increased in recent years. It is unclear how individual drug prices change over time after launch and what market determinants influence these changes. We measured the price trajectories of a cohort of cancer drugs after their launch into the US market and assessed the influence of market structure on price changes. Methods We studied the changes in mean monthly costs for a cohort of 24 patented, injectable anticancer drugs that were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration between 1996 and 2012. To account for discounts and rebates, we used the average sales prices published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Costs were adjusted to US general and health-related inflation rates. For each drug, we calculated the cumulative and annual drug cost changes. We then used a multivariable regression model to evaluate the association between market and cost changes over time. Results With a mean follow-up period of 8 years, the mean percent change in cost for all drugs was +25% (range, −14% to +96%). After adjusting for inflation, the mean cost change was +18% (range, −16% to +59%). Rituximab and trastuzumab followed a similar pattern in cost increases over time, and the inflation-adjusted monthly costs rose since approval by 49% and 44%, respectively. New supplemental US Food and Drug Administration approvals, new off-label indications, and new competitors did not influence the annual cost change rates. Conclusion Anticancer drug costs may change substantially after launch. Regardless of competition or supplemental indications, there is a steady increase in costs of patented anticancer agents over time. New regulations may be needed to prevent additional increases in drug costs after launch.

scholarly journals Public Understanding of Cigarette Smoke Chemicals: Longitudinal Study of US Adults and Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 747-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Jeong ◽  
Seth M Noar ◽  
Dongyu Zhang ◽  
Jennifer R Mendel ◽  
Robert P Agans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cigarette Smoke ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Chemical Information ◽  
The Us ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Abstract Introduction The US Food and Drug Administration has increased communication efforts that aim to raise public awareness of the harmful constituents (ie, chemicals) in cigarette smoke. We sought to investigate whether the public’s awareness of these chemicals has increased in light of such efforts. Methods Participants were national probability samples of 11 322 US adults and adolescents recruited in 2014–2015 (wave 1) and 2016–2017 (wave 2). Cross-sectional telephone surveys assessed awareness of 24 cigarette smoke chemicals at both timepoints. Results The proportion of US adults aware of cigarette smoke chemicals did not differ between waves 1 and 2 (25% and 26%, p = .19). In contrast, awareness of chemicals among adolescents fell from 28% to 22% (p &lt; .001), mostly due to lower awareness of carbon monoxide, arsenic, benzene, and four other chemicals. Belief that most of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke come from burning the cigarette also fell from waves 1 to 2 (adults: 31% vs. 26%; adolescents: 47% vs. 41%, both ps &lt; .05). Participants were more likely to be aware of cigarette smoke chemicals if they had been exposed to anti-smoking campaign advertisements (p &lt; .05) or had previously sought chemical information (p &lt; .05). Cigarette smoke chemical awareness did not differ between smokers and nonsmokers. Conclusion Awareness of cigarette smoke chemicals remains low and unchanged among adults and decreased somewhat among adolescents. The association of chemical awareness with information exposure via campaigns and information seeking behavior is promising. More concerted communication efforts may be needed to increase public awareness of cigarette smoke chemicals, which could potentially discourage smoking. Implications Awareness of the toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke may contribute to quitting. The US Food and Drug Administration is making efforts to increase public awareness of these chemicals. Two national surveys (2014–2017) found that chemical awareness was low among adults and adolescents. Although awareness did not change among adults, awareness among adolescents dropped over time. In addition, exposure to anti-smoking campaigns and chemical information seeking behavior were associated with higher awareness of chemicals in cigarette smoke. Campaigns and other efforts may be needed to increase awareness of cigarette smoke chemicals.

Seasonal variations and public search interests in Toxoplasma: a 16-year retrospective analysis of big data on Google Trends

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Liu ◽  
Peng Wang ◽  
Su-Qin Jiang ◽  
Zi-Rong Zhong ◽  
Ting-Zheng Zhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background This study aims to understand whether there is a seasonal change in the internet search interest for Toxoplasma by using the data derived from Google Trends (GT). Methods The present study searched for the relative search volume (RSV) for the search term ‘Toxoplasma’ in GT within six major English-speaking countries (Australia, New Zealand [Southern Hemisphere] and Canada, Ireland, the UK and the USA [Northern Hemisphere] from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2019, utilizing the category of ‘health’. Data regarding the RSV of Toxoplasma was obtained and further statistical analysis was performed in R software using the ‘season’ package. Results There were significantly seasonal patterns for the RSV of the search term ‘Toxoplasma’ in five countries (all p&lt;0.05), except for the UK. A peak in December–March and a trough in July–September (Canada, Ireland, the UK and the USA) were observed, while a peak in June/August and a trough in December/February (Australia, New Zealand) were also found. Moreover, the presence of seasonal patterns regarding RSV for ‘Toxoplasma’ between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres was also found (both p&lt;0.05), with a reversed meteorological month. Conclusions Overall, our study revealed the seasonal variation for Toxoplasma in using internet search data from GT, providing additional evidence on seasonal patterns in Toxoplasma.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document