Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study
Abstract BackgroundThere is a growing gap between the supply of surgeons and the demand for orthopedic services in the United States. ObjectiveWe analyzed publicly available online data to assess the correlation between the supply of orthopedic surgeons and patient...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Online Journal of Public Health Informatics |
| Online Access: | https://ojphi.jmir.org/2025/1/e63560 |
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| author | Abram Qiu Kristopher Meadows Fei Ye Osasu Iyawe Kenneth Kenneth-Nwosa |
| author_facet | Abram Qiu Kristopher Meadows Fei Ye Osasu Iyawe Kenneth Kenneth-Nwosa |
| author_sort | Abram Qiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Abstract
BackgroundThere is a growing gap between the supply of surgeons and the demand for orthopedic services in the United States.
ObjectiveWe analyzed publicly available online data to assess the correlation between the supply of orthopedic surgeons and patient demand across the United States. The geographic trends of this gap were assessed by using the relative demand index (RDI) to guide precision public health interventions such as resource allocation, residency program expansion, and workforce planning to specific regions.
MethodsThe data used were from the US Census Bureau, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through their 2024 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) directory, AAMC State Physician Workforce Data Report, and Google Trends. We calculated the normalized relative search volume (RSV) and the RDI and compared them to the densities of orthopedic surgeons across the United States. We examined the disparities with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
ResultsThe supply of orthopedic surgeons varied greatly across the United States, with a significantly higher demand for them in southern states (PPP
ConclusionsThis study showed that regional disparities in access to orthopedic care can be addressed by increasing orthopedic residencies. The study highlights the novel application of the RDI to mapping the regional need for orthopedics, and this map allows for better targeted resource allocation to expand orthopedic surgery training. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-980adb12684a40568218fe087763879e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1947-2579 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Online Journal of Public Health Informatics |
| spelling | doaj-art-980adb12684a40568218fe087763879e2025-02-07T17:16:10ZengJMIR PublicationsOnline Journal of Public Health Informatics1947-25792025-01-0117e63560e6356010.2196/63560Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology StudyAbram Qiuhttp://orcid.org/0009-0009-8815-0858Kristopher Meadowshttp://orcid.org/0009-0007-0713-1969Fei Yehttp://orcid.org/0009-0003-2259-2246Osasu Iyawehttp://orcid.org/0009-0001-1719-496XKenneth Kenneth-Nwosahttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-1972-4047 Abstract BackgroundThere is a growing gap between the supply of surgeons and the demand for orthopedic services in the United States. ObjectiveWe analyzed publicly available online data to assess the correlation between the supply of orthopedic surgeons and patient demand across the United States. The geographic trends of this gap were assessed by using the relative demand index (RDI) to guide precision public health interventions such as resource allocation, residency program expansion, and workforce planning to specific regions. MethodsThe data used were from the US Census Bureau, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through their 2024 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) directory, AAMC State Physician Workforce Data Report, and Google Trends. We calculated the normalized relative search volume (RSV) and the RDI and compared them to the densities of orthopedic surgeons across the United States. We examined the disparities with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. ResultsThe supply of orthopedic surgeons varied greatly across the United States, with a significantly higher demand for them in southern states (PPP ConclusionsThis study showed that regional disparities in access to orthopedic care can be addressed by increasing orthopedic residencies. The study highlights the novel application of the RDI to mapping the regional need for orthopedics, and this map allows for better targeted resource allocation to expand orthopedic surgery training.https://ojphi.jmir.org/2025/1/e63560 |
| spellingShingle | Abram Qiu Kristopher Meadows Fei Ye Osasu Iyawe Kenneth Kenneth-Nwosa Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study Online Journal of Public Health Informatics |
| title | Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study |
| title_full | Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study |
| title_short | Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study |
| title_sort | quantifying patient demand for orthopedics care by region through google trends analysis descriptive epidemiology study |
| url | https://ojphi.jmir.org/2025/1/e63560 |
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