Online interest in surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia using Google trends
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Online interest in surgical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia using Google trends Samir Merheb1 · Na Wang2 · Janice Weinberg3 · David S. Wang1 · Shaun E. L. Wason1 Received: 19 July 2020 / Accepted: 5 September 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Purpose Online health information-seeking behavior has increased over the past 15 years; however, little is known about the online interest for surgical treatment of men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We used Google Trends to evaluate online interest for various surgical procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia in the US and worldwide. Methods Transurethral resection of the prostate, photoselective vaporization of the prostate, Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, Urolift, and Rezum were selected as search terms of interest within Google Trends. Google Trends normalizes the popularity of search terms on a 0–100 scale. ANOVA and the average rate of change in popularity scores were conducted from July 2015 to February 2019. Results From 2004 to 2019, online interest in transurethral resection of the prostate and photoselective vaporization of the prostate remained stable in the US and worldwide; meanwhile, there was an upward trend for Urolift and Rezum. There was a statistically significant increase in the online interest for Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate in the US and worldwide; however, the mean popularity score was significantly higher worldwide. Conclusions A shift in online interest towards minimally invasive surgical therapies for benign prostatic hyperplasia was demonstrated in the US and worldwide and parallels clinical practice patterns, such as HoLEP and Urolift surgical volumes in Indiana and Australia, respectively. Google Trends can be used in real-time to gauge online interest for surgical procedures and help guide physician–patient counseling. Keywords Benign prostatic hyperplasia · Google trends · Rezum · TURP · Urolift
* Shaun E. L. Wason [email protected] Samir Merheb [email protected] Na Wang [email protected] Janice Weinberg [email protected] David S. Wang [email protected] 1
Boston University / Boston Medical Center, 725 Albany St., Suite 3B, Boston, MA 02118, USA
2
Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center at Boston University, School of Public Health, Boston University, 85 East Newton St, Boston, MA M92102118, USA
3
School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University, 801 Massachusetts Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Introduction Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects 90% of men between 45 and 80 years of age [1]. Medical management is first-line therapy for men suffering from LUTS, while surgical intervention is reserved for men with moderate to severe LUTS, symptoms refractory to, or unwilling to take medications. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has long been considered the gold standard treatment to which other therapies are compared [2, 3]. Ur
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