Internet Search Trends for Common Hand Surgery Diagnoses.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Patients increasingly use the internet for health information.
• Limited data exists on internet search trends for hand surgery conditions.
• Understanding these trends can inform patient education and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze temporal trends in internet search interest for 10 common hand surgery diagnoses from 2017-2021.
• To identify seasonal variations in search interest for these diagnoses.

Main Methods:

• Google Trends data was analyzed for 10 hand surgery diagnoses (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome, finger fracture).
• Data spanned January 2017 to December 2021.
• Statistical tests (ANOVA, Mann-Kendall) assessed trends and seasonality.

Main Results:

• Search interest increased for carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, thumb arthritis, Dupuytren disease, and finger fracture.
• No significant temporal trend was observed for ganglion cyst, de Quervain's tenosynovitis, lateral epicondylitis, or distal radius fracture.
• Finger and scaphoid fractures showed seasonal interest, peaking in the fall.

Conclusions:

• Internet search interest for many common hand conditions is stagnant, possibly due to patients seeking information elsewhere.
• Search interest for traumatic hand conditions aligns with seasonal fracture patterns, peaking in autumn.