Assessing Online Material Related to Scoliosis: What Do Patients Want to Know?

IF 1.5 Q3 RHEUMATOLOGY

Musculoskeletal Care Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI:10.1002/msc.70069

Nathaniel Hunter, Cole Payne, Rohini Vanodia, Surya Mundluru

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: No data describe what patients search for related to scoliosis. We aimed to quantify the Google search volume for scoliosis, identify the most sought-after information, and evaluate the associated online resources.

Methods: Search volume and 'People Also Ask' (PAA) questions were documented for the following terms: scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, congenital scoliosis, and neuromuscular scoliosis. PAA questions were categorised based on intent and websites were categorised on source. Quality and readability of the sources were determined using the JAMA criteria, Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL).

Ethical approval: This investigation was exempted from Institutional Review Board approval.

Results: Search volume for 'scoliosis' has significantly increased since 2015, with an average monthly search volume of 219,055 (p < 0.0001). 182 PAA questions were extracted. Most were related to technical details, the evaluation of current treatments, or alternative treatments. Academic websites were the most common resource, followed by medical practices and government websites. Only 4% of websites met the criteria for universal readability.

Discussion and conclusion: Scoliosis is a relatively common condition and a popular topic among Google users. However, only 4% of online resources provided by Google were written at an appropriate reading level. The lack of patient-friendly resources related to scoliosis is concerning, particularly given that this patient population has been shown to search for information online at twice the rate of others. This data provides a framework for healthcare professionals to begin addressing common questions related to scoliosis in a patient-centred manner.

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评估与脊柱侧凸相关的在线材料：患者想知道什么？

简介：没有数据描述患者搜索与脊柱侧凸相关的内容。我们的目的是量化脊柱侧凸的谷歌搜索量，确定最受欢迎的信息，并评估相关的在线资源。方法：搜索量和“人们也问”（PAA）问题记录了以下术语：脊柱侧凸、特发性脊柱侧凸、青少年特发性脊柱侧凸、先天性脊柱侧凸和神经肌肉脊柱侧凸。PAA问题是根据意图分类的，网站是根据来源分类的。采用JAMA标准、Flesch Reading Ease （FRE）评分和Flesch- kincaid Grade Level （FKGL）来确定来源的质量和可读性。伦理批准：本研究免除了机构审查委员会的批准。结果：自2015年以来，“脊柱侧凸”的搜索量显著增加，月平均搜索量为219,055 (p)。讨论与结论：脊柱侧凸是谷歌用户比较常见的疾病，也是比较热门的话题。然而，谷歌提供的在线资源中，只有4%的资源是以合适的阅读水平编写的。缺乏与脊柱侧凸相关的患者友好型资源是令人担忧的，特别是考虑到这一患者群体在网上搜索信息的速度是其他人的两倍。这些数据为医疗保健专业人员提供了一个框架，以患者为中心的方式开始解决与脊柱侧凸相关的常见问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Musculoskeletal Care RHEUMATOLOGY-

CiteScore

2.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： Musculoskeletal Care is a peer-reviewed journal for all health professionals committed to the clinical delivery of high quality care for people with musculoskeletal conditions and providing knowledge to support decision making by professionals, patients and policy makers. This journal publishes papers on original research, applied research, review articles and clinical guidelines. Regular topics include patient education, psychological and social impact, patient experiences of health care, clinical up dates and the effectiveness of therapy.