Abstract
BackgroundDespite increasing opportunities for acquiring health information online, discussion of the specific words used in searches has been limited.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to clarify the medical information gap between medical professionals and the general public in Japan through health information–seeking activities on the internet.MethodsSearch and posting data were analyzed from one of the most popular domestic search engines in Japan (Yahoo! JAPAN Search) and the most popular Japanese community question answering service (Yahoo! Chiebukuro). We compared the frequency of 100 clinical words appearing in the clinical case reports of medical professionals (clinical frequency) with their frequency in Yahoo! JAPAN Search (search frequency) logs and questions posted to Yahoo! Chiebukuro (question frequency). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to quantify association patterns among the three information sources. Additionally, user information (gender and age) in the search frequency associated with each registered user was extracted.ResultsSignificant correlations were observed between clinical and search frequencies (r=0.29, P=.003), clinical and question frequencies (r=0.34, P=.001), and search and question frequencies (r=0.57, P<.001). Low-frequency words in clinical frequency (eg, “hypothyroidism,” “ulcerative colitis”) highly ranked in search frequency. Similarly, “pain,” “slight fever,” and “numbness” were highly ranked only in question frequency. The weighted average of ages was 34.5 (SD 2.7) years, and the weighted average of gender (man –1, woman +1) was 0.1 (SD 0.1) in search frequency. Some words were specifically extracted from the search frequency of certain age groups, including “abdominal pain” (10-20 years), “plasma cells” and “inflammatory findings” (20-30 years), “DM” (diabetes mellitus; 30-40 years), “abnormal shadow” and “inflammatory findings” (40-50 years), “hypertension” and “abnormal shadow” (50-60 years), and “lung cancer” and “gastric cancer” (60-70 years).ConclusionsSearch and question frequencies showed similar tendencies, whereas search and clinical frequencies showed discrepancy. Low-clinical frequency words related to diseases such as “hypothyroidism” and “ulcerative colitis” had high search frequencies, whereas those related to symptoms such as “pain,” “slight fever,” and “numbness” had high question frequencies. Moreover, high search frequency words included designated intractable diseases such as “ulcerative colitis,” which has an incidence of less than 0.1% in the Japanese population. Therefore, it is generally worthwhile to pay attention not only to major diseases but also to minor diseases that users frequently seek information on, and more words will need to be analyzed in the future. Some characteristic words for certain age groups were observed (eg, 20-40 years: “cancer”; 40-60 years: diagnoses and diseases identified in health examinations; 60-70 years: diseases with late adulthood onset and “death”). Overall, this analysis demonstrates that medical professionals as information providers should be aware of clinical frequency, and medical information gaps between professionals and the general public should be bridged.
Highlights
Since the 1990s, the popularization of the internet and personal information devices such as personal computers, smartphones, and tablets has become widespread
Low-clinical frequency words related to diseases such as “hypothyroidism” and “ulcerative colitis” had high search frequencies, whereas those related to symptoms such as “pain,” “slight fever,” and “numbness” had high question frequencies
We analyzed electronic medical records and discharge summaries written by medical professionals from cooperating hospitals, and extracted 100 frequently used words from the MANBYO Dictionary [29], containing disease names specified by international standards such as the ICD 10 Standard Disease Name Master (V 4.04 Revised April 1, 2018) and all symptoms, including abbreviations and the English names of diseases
Summary
Since the 1990s, the popularization of the internet and personal information devices such as personal computers, smartphones, and tablets has become widespread. Opportunities to acquire health information from the web have been increasing. In the United States, 59% of adults were reported to acquire their health information from the internet in 2013 [2]. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan in 2015 showed that approximately 80% of people acquired health information via the internet, regardless of gender or age [3]. There are many difficulties faced by general users in the process of seeking health information and determining its reliability. Misleading information from the internet could result in serious health hazards [4]. Despite increasing opportunities for acquiring health information online, discussion of the specific words used in searches has been limited
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