Google Search Trends in Onychomycosis

NewsBot · Jul 5, 2020

Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
Google Search Trends in Onychomycosis: Influences of Flip Flops and Advertising
Aditya K Gupta, Emma M Quinlan
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020 Jul 2

Background: Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail, affecting 5.5% of the population. Individuals affected by this disease experience increased anxiety about this disorder and a decreased quality of life. There are multiple available treatments across the globe, leading people to search online for information on the various therapies.

Methods: Using Google Trends, we investigated the popularity of various search terms related to onychomycosis and other fungal infections and their relation to geography, season, government regulations, and availability.

Results: Searches for toenail fungus and associated treatment terms peak during the summer months, with oral therapies and the newest topical therapies currently in the news being the most popular. Interest in the respective treatments peak when a product is launched, is the subject of an advertising campaign, or becomes more available to the public through approval or reclassification. Yeast infection, thrush, and ringworm terms are consistently searched more often than toenail fungus, jock itch, or foot fungus; all terms are most popular in the summer months, with toenail fungus reaching annual popularity one month prior to jock itch.

Discussion: In general, interest in toenail fungus and treatments are the highest when social anxiety about toenail appearance and the occurrence of fungal infection is the greatest. Curiosity about treatment products increase with their availability and visibility to the public. Combining the power of seasonal interest and advertising generates the greatest search profile for onychomycosis treatments.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · Jul 5, 2020

Related Thread:
How often are different keywords searched for on Google?

NewsBot · Sep 7, 2021

Using Google Trends to Identify Seasonal Variation in Foot and Ankle Pathology
Jana Olivova, Bibi N Singh, Dominick J Casciato
J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2021 Jul 1;111(4)

Background: Google Trends proves to be a novel tool to ascertain the level of public interest in pathology and treatments. From anticipating nascent epidemics with data-driven prevention campaigns to identifying interest in cosmetic or bariatric surgery, Google Trends provides physicians real-time insight into the latest consumer trends.

Methods: We used Google Trends to identify temporal trends and variation in the search volume index of four groups of keywords that assessed practitioner-nomenclature inquiries, in addition to podiatric-specific searches for pain, traumatic injury, and common podiatric pathology over a 10-year period. The Mann-Kendall trend test was used to determine a trend in the series, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between summer and winter season inquiries. Significance was set at P ≤ .05.

Results: The terms "podiatrist" and "foot doctor" experienced increasing Search Volume Index (SVI) and seasonal variation, whereas the terms "foot surgeon" and "podiatric surgeon" experienced no such increase. "Foot pain," "heel pain," "toe pain," and "ankle pain" experienced a significant increase in SVI, with "foot pain" maintaining the highest SVI at all times. Similar results were seen with the terms "foot fractures," "bunion," "ingrown toenail," and "heel spur." These terms all experienced statistically significant increasing trends; moreover, the SVI was significantly higher in the summer than in the winter for each of these terms.

Conclusions: The results of this study show the utility in illustrating seasonal variation in Internet interest of pathologies today's podiatrist commonly encounters. By identifying the popularity and seasonal variation of practitioner- and pathology-specific search inquiries, resources can be allocated to effectively address current public inquiries. With this knowledge, providers can learn what podiatric-specific interests are trending in their local communities and market their practice accordingly throughout the year.
Click to expand...

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

How often are different keywords searched for on Google?

Have you ever googled a patient?

The Google Trends Thread

Dr. Google Mug

Google effectiveness etc

Can't find pod arena on google?

Tutorial to get a Google+ business page for your clinic (they are new)

Share This Page