Popular Search Terms Research Articles

Endometriosis on TikTok: Evaluating social media misinformation and the role of healthcare professionals

Introduction: TikTok is often the first source teens and young adult patients turn to for medical information, a short-form social media video application known to promote videos with inaccurate information. The primary goal of this study was to characterize popular endometriosis misinformation found on TikTok, with the secondary goal of describing attitudes surrounding endometriosis on TikTok so that physicians can be knowledgeable about the content available on the internet, and be prepared when patients talk about endometriosis misinformation. Methods: The top 100 videos under the three most popular endometriosis search terms were assessed for misinformation in four categories: incorrect causes, incorrect symptoms, incorrect treatment, and other incorrect information. Non-English, inaudible, duplicated, or irrelevant videos were excluded from analysis. Videos were analyzed until 100 valid videos were identified in each search term. Metadata was collected, including whether the video was created by a physician or non-physician and attitudes toward endometriosis. Chi squares, Fisher’s Exact Tests, and Mann–Whitney U tests were performed as appropriate. Results: Of total, 298 videos met the eligibility criteria for review. Fifty videos were created by individual physicians and 248 were created by non-physicians. Overall, out of 298 videos, 69 videos (23%) had incorrect or misleading information about causes, treatment, symptoms, or information about endometriosis. Only 1% of the analyzed videos discussed medication management other than COCPs. Nonphysician sources were associated with negative attitudes ( p < 0.003). Nonphysician videos were more likely to contain misinformation in at least one category, compared to physician videos ( p < 0.0008). Despite the greater volume of non-physician videos, those created by physicians were more likely to be shared. Misinformation from non-physician sources was associated with positive/neutral attitudes toward endometriosis and treatment ( p < 0.00002). Discussion: This study reveals that TikTok hosts a high volume of endometriosis misinformation, especially about endometrosis treatments. Popular TikTok misinformation tends not to reflect traditional misconceptions, but rather modern misinformation trends of holistic health and “wellness.” Physicians should be prepared to have respectful discussions about endometriosis treatments found on TikTok without invalidating the emotions that led patients to seek information on the internet.

Google Search Trends to assess public interest in and concern about Vuity for treating presbyopia.

To assess public awareness, interest, and concerns regarding Vuity (1.25% pilocarpine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution), an eye drop for the treatment of presbyopia, based on Google Trends. We used Google Trends that provides a relative search volume for queried terms, to evaluate searches for Vuity from June 30, 2021, to June 30, 2022, in the United States. The data for this study were downloaded on June 30, 2022. Main outcome measures were changes in relative search volumes for the terms "Vuity," "Eye drops for reading," "Eye drops for near vision," "Presbyopia," "Pilocarpine," and related popular search terms, such as "Vuity side effects," and "Vuity retinal detachment". Since the approval of Vuity on October 29, 2021, notable increases in the relative search volumes occurred for Vuity in October 2021, December 2021, and from March to April 2022, which coincided with its approval, availability, and subsequent direct-to-consumer advertising based on positive results of clinical trials. The direct-to-consumer advertising had the greatest impact on the search volume for Vuity. Specific interests included Vuity cost, where to buy it, and its side effects. Retinal detachment was the most highly searched Vuity side effect. Geographic variation was evident, with the relative search volumes highest for "Vuity" in Wyoming, followed by North Dakota. Google Trends is a useful tool for monitoring increases in public interest in Vuity for presbyopia. Public concerns regarding side effects warrant further real-world investigations of the causal relationship between Vuity and retinal detachment.

The trouble with tagging: a queer porn company tussles to find the right words

ABSTRACT While major media outlets repost Pornhub’s popular search terms and ‘debate’ trans rights, the discussions among queer porn producers about tagging and gender are more nuanced. Tags (descriptive keywords assigned to films and performers) have many uses, but applying gendered terms to bodies is fraught with complex biases. We share our experiences, formed by working with creators and customers on the porn sites PinkLabel.TV and CrashPadSeries.com, to reveal the challenges of evolving language and technology that respects artists and audiences alike.

Assessing the Content and Readability of Robotic and Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy Information Online.

Apical pelvic organ prolapse is a common condition that affects women. Currently, sacrocolpopexy is considered the criterion standard surgical treatment, with an increasing preference for minimally invasive techniques. In this study, the content and readability of select internet pages describing robotic and laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy were evaluated. Using an online key word planner, the phrases "robotic sacrocolpopexy" and "laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy" were determined to be the most popular search terms. These terms were systematically browsed in incognito mode in 3 of the most popular web search engines: Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Links that were nontext primary, duplicate, irrelevant, and non-English were excluded. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease indices were used to assess readability. The average readability of all sites was 12.9, requiring at least a 12th-grade reading level, which is significantly higher than the recommended American Medical Association/National Institutes of Health (AMA/NIH) level of sixth-grade or below. One hundred percent of all analyzed sites were above this recommended sixth-grade reading level. There was no significant difference between mean grade level or reading ease score from the type of web source (P = 0.32 and 0.34, respectively), approach of surgery (P = 0.91, 0.70), or specialty (P = 0.48, 0.36). Almost all websites require at least a high school education to properly comprehend, regardless of source or specialty. It is important that health care providers be aware of available information, so they may direct patients to specific resources that are personally validated or provide in-office materials at an appropriate reading level.

Plausibility of Using a Checklist With YouTube to Facilitate the Discovery of Acute Low Back Pain Self-Management Content: Exploratory Study.

BackgroundAccess to guideline-consistent effective care for acute low back pain (ALBP) is generally regarded as limited. Researchers have recognized the potential of YouTube as a clinical and patient education resource that may improve access to appropriate care. However, the heterogeneity of evaluation approaches and variable quality of health information have generally limited the potential of YouTube as a self-management intervention.ObjectiveThis study aims to increase the understanding of ALBP content available on YouTube in 2020 and to establish the plausibility of using a simple checklist to facilitate the discovery of YouTube content consistent with current guidelines. We examined the following 4 research questions: how was the data set defined, what are the metadata characteristics of the videos in the data set, what is the information quality of ALBP YouTube videos, and what are the characteristics of the YouTube data set based on an ALBP self-management checklist?MethodsThis was an exploratory, qualitative infodemiology study. We identified videos in our data set through YouTube search based on popular ALBP-relevant search terms identified through Google Trends for YouTube. We accessed YouTube metadata using the YouTube data tools developed by the University of Amsterdam. We used a modified Brief DISCERN checklist to examine the information quality. We developed a checklist based on the 2018 Lancet Low Back Pain guidelines to examine self-management content.ResultsWe analyzed a data set of 202 YouTube videos authored by chiropractors, physicians, physiotherapists, and instructors of yoga and other disciplines. We identified clear differences in the ALBP videos in our data set based on the authors’ disciplines. We found that the videos authored by each discipline strongly featured a specific intervention domain, that is, education, treatment, or exercise. We also found that videos authored by physicians were consistently coded with the highest ALBP self-management content scores than all other disciplines.ConclusionsThe results returned by YouTube in response to a search for back pain–related content were highly variable. We suggest that a simple checklist may facilitate the discovery of guideline-concordant ALBP self-management content on YouTube. Further research may identify the clinical contexts in which the use of an ALBP checklist with YouTube is feasible.

Ranking the Egyptian universities sites using the popular search terms method on Google Trend

The university’s website is the university’s window on the world and a means of communication between the university’s databases and its colleges and beneficiaries, whether they are students, faculty, administrative staff or visitors with the aim of providing news, electronic, administrative and educational services to the beneficiaries; therefore this study aims to evaluate the sites of Egyptian public or private universities In the style of popular search terms through Google Trend indicators and comparing them with the classification of these universities; Google Trend Trends and what this tool can do for the university to improve its location and predict the direction of the beneficiaries of the university's location The study reached many results, including that the Egyptian universities sites need to exert more effort to attract the interest of the beneficiaries from them, and that the relationship between the ranking of universities using odorless search terms on Google Trend and 4icu classification where the value of the correlation coefficient between them is 0¸35 As for the relationship between Ranking of universities using smelling search terms on Google Trend and Webometrics ranking is an intermediate direct relationship where the correlation coefficient value is 0¸6

COVID-19 prevention and treatment information on the internet: a systematic analysis and quality assessment

ObjectiveTo evaluate the quality of information regarding the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 available to the general public from all countries.DesignSystematic analysis using the ‘Ensuring Quality Information for Patients’ (EQIP)...

Population\u2019s health information-seeking behaviors and geographic variations of stroke in Malaysia: an ecological correlation and time series study

Stroke has emerged as a major public health concern in Malaysia. We aimed to determine the trends and temporal associations of real-time health information-seeking behaviors (HISB) and stroke incidences in Malaysia. We conducted a countrywide ecological correlation and time series study using novel internet multi-timeline data stream of 6,282 hit searches and conventional surveillance data of 14,396 stroke cases. We searched popular search terms related to stroke in Google Trends between January 2004 and March 2019. We explored trends by comparing average relative search volumes (RSVs) by month and weather through linear regression bootstrapping methods. Geographical variations between regions and states were determined through spatial analytics. Ecological correlation analysis between RSVs and stroke incidences was determined via Pearson’s correlations. Forecasted model was yielded through exponential smoothing. HISB showed both cyclical and seasonal patterns. Average RSV was significantly higher during Northeast Monsoon when compared to Southwest Monsoon (P < 0.001). “Red alerts” were found in specific regions and states. Significant correlations existed within stroke related queries and actual stroke cases. Forecasted model showed that as HISB continue to rise, stroke incidence may decrease or reach a plateau. The results have provided valuable insights for immediate public health policy interventions.

The Importance of Trending Topics in the Gatekeeping of Social Media News Engagement: A Natural Experiment on Weibo

Digital gatekeepers have greatly shaped the gatekeeping process of news consumption and news engagement, but how digital gatekeepers work is understudied. This study focuses on one example of digital gatekeepers, trending topics on social media, which aggregate the most popular search terms and present them to the public. We utilize a natural experiment on Weibo by analyzing user engagement data of 36,239 posts in three consecutive weeks, during which trending topics were removed for 1 week. We show that trending topics implemented two layers of gatekeeping: trending topics increased user engagement with top news posts within each news outlet and widened the engagement gap between popular posts and less popular ones (intra-outlet gatekeeping), and the increases in engagement with top news items were most salient among the least popular news outlets, thus reducing the inequality among outlets (inter-outlet gatekeeping).

What Are Our Postoperative Hysterectomy Patients Sharing on Social Media? [37B

INTRODUCTION: Millions of people use social media to share their experiences, including healthcare experiences. Data on what patients actually post is lacking. This study attempts to better understand the experience of patients, as well as examine who is posting on these platforms. METHODS: Two popular search terms were identified: #hysterectomyrecovery and #hysterectomypostop. The most recent Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube posts were reviewed. Authorship of the post was determined based on the bio of the poster and classified as patient, provider, advertisement, organization/institution, or unclassified. For patient posts, theses were further analyzed based on language/content of the post for tone: positive, neutral, or negative. RESULTS: Authorship of posts varied by platform. Identified Instagram posts were 64% by patients, 17% advertisements, 17% organization/institution, and 1% unclassified. 100% of Twitter posts originated from patients. YouTube posts were 47% patient and 47% healthcare provider. Tone of posts also varied by platform. 69% of Instagram posts were positive versus 15% negative. 83% of Twitter posts were positive versus 9% negative. 50% of YouTube posts were positive versus 43% negative. CONCLUSION: There are many posts about hysterectomy post-op and recovery on different platforms. Twitter and Instagram tend to have more patient-driven posts, whereas YouTube has equal patient and provider posts. Patients tend to have more positive tone related to hysterectomy experience on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, in increasing order. Prevailing wisdom suggests that social media draws negative attention to healthcare. Our study would suggest that while most of the posts on social media platforms were patient-driven, the majority were positive.

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.

Database “Librarianship and Bibliography” as a Resource for Information Support of Studies in Library Science

The article considers the bibliographic database “Librarianship and Bibliography”, developed by the specialists of the Russian State Library in the context of other libraries and institutions that distribute resources related to library science. The author reveals the specifics of structure and composition of databases with similar resources, created by some central regional libraries of Russia and federal libraries of other departments. The authar touches upon the issue of foreign companies’ information support of studies in library science. This database was created using many years, experience in formation of information resources on culture and art, which have no analogues in Russia. The article presents the search capabilities of this bibliographic online resource and the practice of user interaction with it in 2016—2017. The author notes that the main body of records includes articles from monographs, scientific collections, conference proceedings and other publications. The article outlines the features of working with the database. The resource interface and the structure of its search fields are described. There are given some examples of its search fragments and navigation capabilities. Using statistical data, the author analyses the resorce access dynamics, user requests and the geography of user access to the database. The access leaders among the eight regions of the Russian Federation are Ural, Northwestern and Siberian Federal Districts. There is a stable interest observed in Siberian, Volga and Central Districts. The rating of the most popular search terms is made. The results of the study confirm the demand for the online resource among users. This is especially important in the conditions of low circulation of Russian scientific publications that significantly decreases their accessibility and reduces the ability to disseminate scientific knowledge among specialists.

PRM76 - WHAT PHYSICIANS WANT: SEARCH AND EVIDENCE SOURCE TRENDS IN THE TRIP HEALTHCARE DATABASE

Evidence-based practice is the target of healthcare providers, but this goal is increasingly difficult as the evidence base grows. The TRIP search engine is designed to facilitate providers' finding the most relevant, highest-level clinical evidence. As an iterative process, understanding current trends in evidence requirements and sources is required. This study analyzes a physician-dominated search engine for topics searched, sources accessed, and documents returned. Anonymized 2017 TRIP clickstream data were analyzed to assess the search habits, documents clicked, and information sources accessed. Results were stratified by country to assess differences in clinical interests and evidence sources, and to construct an evidence network. Analyses were performed in R. Only unique browser sessions consisting of at least 2 documents were retained, with country determined from the IP address. For the top 10 represented countries, stemmed search terms and evidence-provider domain names were subjected to frequency analysis. User searches focused on pain (median rank 2), cancer (5.5), and diabetes (5.5), with obesity notable for its much lower median rank of 40. Searches including “treatment” were significantly (p<0.05) more common than those for “prevention”. Of the top 5 accessed evidence sources (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, crd.york.ac.uk, guideline.gov, clinicaltrials.gov, emedicine.medscape.com) four showed higher tendency to be the last click in the datastream versus the first click, while only crd.york.ac.uk showed a greater propensity to be the first rather than last. Popular evidence sources were generally consistent across countries, but ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and guideline.gov showed significant differences in first/last position (p<0.05). Popular search terms may reflect complex areas of medicine where physicians need to check progress more regularly, or there remains uncertainty regarding treatment. Training resources could be targeted to these topics. Country differences may highlight local concerns, reflect national resource availability, and allow targeting of the most trusted data sources for publication of important evidence.

Seasonal and Geographic Patterns in Seeking Cardiovascular Health Information: An Analysis of the Online Search Trends

ObjectiveTo ascertain whether temporal and geographic interest in seeking cardiovascular disease (CVD) information online follows seasonal and geographic patterns similar to those observed in real-world data. MethodsWe searched Google Trends for popular search terms relating to CVD. Relative search volumes (RSVs) were obtained for the period January 4, 2004, to April 19, 2014, for the United States and Australia. We compared average RSVs by month and season and used cosinor analysis to test for seasonal variation in RSVs. We also assessed correlations between state-level RSVs and CVD burden using an ecological correlational design. ResultsRSVs were 15% higher in the United States and 45% higher in Australia for winter compared with summer (P<.001 for difference for both). In the United States, RSVs were 36% higher in February compared with August, while in Australia, RSVs were 75% higher in August compared with January. On cosinor analysis, we found a significant seasonal variability in RSVs, with winter peaks and summer troughs for both the United States and Australia (P<.001 for zero amplitude test for both). We found a significant correlation between state-level RSVs and mortality from CVD (r=0.62; P<.001), heart disease (r=0.58; P<.001), coronary heart disease (r=0.48; P<.001), heart failure (r=0.51; P<.001), and stroke (r=0.60; P<.001). ConclusionGoogle search query volumes related to CVD follow strong seasonal patterns with winter peaks and summer troughs. There is moderate to strong positive correlation between state-level search query volumes and burden of CVD mortality.

P125 “I googled it…”: what is recommended online for the management of vulvovaginal candidiasis?

<h3>Background</h3> Recently our centre encountered women reporting self-treatment of candidiasis with intravaginal applications of foodstuffs including garlic, vinegar and yoghurt. All patients had a unifying factor of reporting “googling” their therapy. <h3>Aim</h3> To establish which candidiasis management strategies female patients are most likely to encounter when searching via Google. <h3>Method</h3> Search history data was collated from Google Trends to identify the ten most popular search terms related to candidiasis in the UK between 15/03/15–06/03/16. These terms, along with term “thrush”, were assessed totalling 11 Google searches. All websites on the initial results page for each search term were accessed to review recommended therapies. Click-through data suggests the vast majority of Google users (&gt;90%) select their chosen website from this first results page. <h3>Results</h3> 116 search results included 97 (83.6%) advising women about vulvovaginal candidiasis. 96/97 (99%) recommended imidazole therapy first line, all reassuringly advising against oral therapy in pregnancy. Patients were recommended to seek treatment via a pharmacy (72, 74.2%) or their GP (54, 55.7%) rather than attending a genitourinary service (12, 12.2%). The recommendation of natural yoghurt for symptomatic relief was frequent (40, 41.2%), more than using emollients or soap substitutes (27, 27.8%). Unfounded treatments including eating probiotic yoghurts (9, 9.3%), vinegar (8, 8.2%), and treatment of sexual partners (8, 8.2%) were encountered. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Sensible evidence-based advice is the most prevalent online for vulvovaginal candidiasis. However a number of poorly evidenced therapies are encouraged. This information should be discussed and appropriately challenged during routine management of vulvovaginal candidiasis.

What’s trendy? Ask Google

What do hemorrhoids, One Direction, and Big Bird all have in common? According to Google Trends, they were among 2012's most popular Internet search terms with the highest sustained traffic. What do hemorrhoids, One Direction, and Big Bird all have in common? According to Google Trends, they were among 2012's most popular Internet search terms with the highest sustained traffic. Google Trends (www.google.com/trends/) is a Web-based tool available to all Internet users that estimates the search volume of a specific term or topic relative to the total number of Web searches over a period of time. Users can create graphs of search volume, updated daily, based on data from specific countries or worldwide. One potential application of this tremendous volume of Web searches is for better insights into the health information sought by patients around the world.■Search engine surveillance tools like Google Trends can help identify public health issues as they emerge.■While more research is needed on the value of search engine data, it is likely to play a role in the future of public health. ■Search engine surveillance tools like Google Trends can help identify public health issues as they emerge.■While more research is needed on the value of search engine data, it is likely to play a role in the future of public health. Syndromic surveillance has recently emerged as a means to detect outbreaks through symptom monitoring, even before confirmed diagnoses are available. Adequate surveillance usually requires careful coordination of several teams and agencies to communicate threats, organize responses, and interface with multiple stakeholders, including the public. This requires time, manpower, financial resources, and a stable infrastructure for effective execution. Public health surveillance tools can provide real-time information to monitor emerging threats. These surveillance tools can help prevent major outbreaks by tracking diseases, monitoring their spread, and aiding in planning for rapid and effective response. As Internet utilization continues to grow around the world, the search terms used in a certain geographic area can provide potential insights into emerging health trends. Using the Internet, individuals can search from home for answers about medical questions that may render them weak and unable to travel, or that may carry heavy social stigma or embarrassment. Understanding health trends can provide clues into the experience of a population and enable local governments and response teams to counter any threats in a timely and effective manner. ■Global Public Health Intelligence Network (Public Health Agency of Canada): www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/gphin/■HealthMap (Boston Children's Hospital): www.healthmap.org■Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (International Society for Infectious Diseases): www.promedmail.org In 2008, Canada experienced an outbreak of listeriosis resulting from deli meat contaminated with Listeria bacteria. Although the public health declaration occurred in August, search-term surveillance revealed a rise in searches for "listeriorisis" as early as July.1.Wilson K. Brownstein J.S. Early detection of disease outbreaks using the Internet.CMAJ. 2009; 180: 829-831Crossref PubMed Scopus (194) Google Scholar This case is just one example of the potential role of search-term surveillance. Tools like Google Trends can provide nearly real-time data that may allow researchers and health officials to identify epidemics as they emerge, particularly in developing countries that lack robust public health infrastructure and financial resources for surveillance.2.Carneiro H.A. Mylonakis E. Google trends: a Web-based tool for real-time surveillance of disease outbreaks.Clin Infect Dis. 2009; 49: 1557-1564Crossref PubMed Scopus (454) Google Scholar Recently, public health groups have used Google Trends as a surveillance tool for early identification of outbreaks and potential health threats. In 2008, Google launched Flu Trends (www.google.org/flutrends/) to specifically track and predict real-time flu outbreaks in countries around the world, including the United States. This tool monitors search queries on Google to identify the presence of influenza symptoms, categorizing flu activity as minimal, low, moderate, high, or intense compared with past flu activity. Compared with retrospective surveillance data from CDC, Google Flu Trends accurately detected emerging cases of influenza almost 2 weeks prior to the agency's published reports.2.Carneiro H.A. Mylonakis E. Google trends: a Web-based tool for real-time surveillance of disease outbreaks.Clin Infect Dis. 2009; 49: 1557-1564Crossref PubMed Scopus (454) Google Scholar Though search engine surveillance tools seem promising, this technology is still developing and is not without its limitations. Google Trends data do not use standardized search criteria and can be overestimated, as reflected in its estimated 2013 influenza outbreak numbers, which were nearly double those calculated by CDC. Actual raw data will be needed in order to carry out more robust and meaningful analysis and comparison with other surveillance data, such as those from CDC. Nonetheless, Google Trends, in addition to other search engine surveillance tools, may have an increasingly important role in the early detection of outbreaks and timely communication with the public.

Who's Googling What? What Internet Searches Reveal about Hurricane Information Seeking

Two freely available, searchable databases that track the normalized interest in specific search queries, Google Trends and Google Insights, were used to illustrate spatial and temporal patterns in hurricane information seeking. Searches for the word “hurricane” showed a seasonal pattern with spikes in hurricane searches that corresponded to the severity of the storms making landfall. Regional variation in “hurricane” searches was largely driven by the location and magnitude of hurricane landfalls. Catastrophic hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina captured national attention. A great deal of regional variation in search volume existed prior to Hurricane Ike's landfall. Not as much variation was seen before Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay. This variation appeared to be related to changes in the 5-day track forecast as well as other factors such as issuance of watches and warnings. Searches from Louisiana experienced a sharp decrease after the 5-day track forecast shifted away from the state, but before Ike made landfall. Normalized daily visits to Weather Underground during August/September 2008 followed the same pattern as the Google searches. The most popular hurricane-related search terms at the national level prior to landfall dealt with forecast track and evacuation information while searches after landfall included terms related to hurricane damage. There are limitations to using this free data source, but the study has implications for the literature as well as practical applications. This study provides new information about online search behavior before a hurricane that can be utilized by those who provide weather information to the public.

Informing patients: oculoplastic surgery and the internet

Oculoplastic surgery has received little attention compared with other subspecialties in terms of how the internet influences patient expectations. Blepharoplasty resembles a model for oculoplastic operations. We aimed to assess the quality of information accessed by patients on blepharoplasty using the internet as a resource. After surveying doctors and lay persons, the word 'blepharoplasty' and related terms were studied using an advanced keyword search. This scanned average monthly search volume over a recent 12-month period. The three most popular search terms that were found were entered into the Google search engine. Criteria published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationfor qualifying information from the internet were used in the analysis, yielding a possible score from 0 to a maximum of 4. Of the 150 websites that were studied, these criteria were fully applied to 101 websites. Only 2.5% of sites scored favourably on all four criteria; 6.5% scored three points; 10% scored two points; 41% scored one point; 40% of sites scored zero for objective quality. Superior scores were achieved by online encyclopaedias ('medipedias'), peer-reviewed journals, online abstracts, and book chapters. The websites of professional bodies scored poorly. The lowest scored were private clinics and National Health Service (NHS) hospital websites. Using the internet, the quality of information obtained for oculoplastic surgery seems far inferior to other subspecialties within ophthalmology as well as non-ophthalmic specialties. These findings are specifically relevant to surgeons carrying out blepharoplasty and of general relevance to ophthalmic plastic surgeons.

An Index of Fame?

This paper discusses the presentation of fame that can be identified through popular search terms. These terms reveal how the rapidly shifting interest in individual identities of ‘fame’ are cast against a continuous sequence of expected and unexpected events including movie releases, annual holidays, murders and terrorist attacks. The central claim of this paper is that fame is continuously reconstituted across a wide spectrum of cultural experiences and actions. Fame is attached to individuals as a personification of mainstream cultural fascination with specific events – whether manufactured or unexpected – and artefacts.