Discussion of the public interest in arthroscopy based on the Baidu index and its implications for nursing care

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Despite the widespread application of big data in topic analysis, the public’s attention and nursing requirements for arthroscopy remain inadequate.

AIM

To understand netizens’ concerns and spatial distributions regarding arthroscopy and to provide customized nursing strategies.

METHODS

The Baidu index was employed to gather and analyze the search index, demand graph, keyword popularity, and regional distribution data for the keywords “arthroscopy,” “knee arthroscopy,” and “arthroscopy surgery” from 2018 to 2023.

RESULTS

A total of 254692 items of information were searched for these keywords, with 59.86% from mobile terminals. Netizens’ interest in arthroscopy showed a fluctuating pattern, which was consistent with fluctuations in the elasticity coefficient, and was primarily concentrated in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong.

CONCLUSION

The Baidu index provides new avenues for exploring public demand for arthroscopy. Nursing personnel can utilize these data to develop more precise health education plans and guidance, enhancing the quality and satisfaction of patient care.

Key Words: Arthroscopy; Baidu index; Public attention; Health education; Nursing care

Core Tip: At present, big data analysis platforms, such as the Baidu index, are extensively used to explore the concerns, demands, and spatial distribution characteristics of netizens towards certain hot topics. However, research on the public’s attention and nursing requirements for arthroscopy remains inadequate. This study explored the concerns and spatial distribution characteristics of netizens towards arthroscopy by using the Baidu index, with the hope of providing targeted guidance and strategies for nursing care in arthroscopy.

INTRODUCTION

A joint is composed of muscle, ligaments, and cartilage. Sudden or excessive external forces can easily cause damage to the bone and soft tissue structures in the joint area, leading to ligament tears and meniscus injuries[1]. Athletes, accident victims, and workers who handle heavy loads are the main groups prone to joint injuries. Given the specific and widespread nature of the injured population, treatment plans have garnered attention, especially for those with severe injuries that require surgery to repair and recover.

As the popularity of minimally invasive surgery has increased, there has been a corresponding shift towards minimally invasive methods for the treatment of joint injuries. Among these methods, arthroscopic examination is used as the main or auxiliary method for diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation[2,3] and is quickly applied for inspection and corrective surgery of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and other joints. Compared with traditional surgery, arthroscopy offers the advantages of less trauma, small incision, and a short postoperative recovery period[4]. Furthermore, the incidence rate of postoperative surgical site infection is approximately 1.0%[5], which is widely recognized both in China and abroad[6,7]. However, ordinary residents still lack a certain level of understanding regarding arthroscopy.

With the development of internet technology and the widespread use of network devices, an increasing number of patients are opting to conduct a “pre-diagnosis” online before seeking treatment at a hospital. This approach has emerged as a convenient way for residents to obtain medical information and seek information on health issue[8]. By analyzing search data for specific keywords, such as a certain disease, the intentions and health requirements of netizens can be directly reflected[9,10]. Currently, many scholars have attempted to use internet-based data platforms such as Google, Twitter, and Baidu to provide early predictions of dengue fever, hand-foot-mouth disease, H7N9, and other infectious diseases[11-13]. Compared with traditional monitoring systems, this new method is more economical, simple, and timely[14] and does not compromise its sensitivity or specificity[15].

According to the 52^nd Statistical Report on the Development of China’s Internet, the number of Chinese netizens has reached 1.08 billion as of June 2023, with an internet penetration rate of 76.4% (https://www.cnnic.net.cn/n4/2023/0302/c199-10755.html). Baidu holds over 80.0% of the online search market[16]. As of May 2023, it remains the largest desktop search engine in China, which largely reflects the online search behavior of Chinese netizens[17,18]. The Baidu index (BDI) (https://index.baidu.com/v2/index.html#/), a data-sharing platform based on the behavior data of the users of Baidu, offers a free and extensive data analysis service platform based on web and news searches. It reflects the “user attention” and “media attention” on different keywords during a specific period. With this service, we can discover, share, and mine the most valuable information and news on the internet and reflect social hotspots and netizens’ interests and needs directly and objectively. In addition, a more precise understanding of search intentions from specific regions and populations is gained, making it more useful[10,13].

To date, relevant researchers have used data platforms such as Google trends and the BDI to explore the public’s online behavior and interest in diseases such as thyroid, kidney stones, and breast and cervical cancer[19-21]. However, there is a discernible absence of research on arthroscopy using big data, particularly in surgical nursing. To address this gap, this study employed the BDI to analyze public demand for arthroscopy, gaining timely insights into the public’s changing attitudes and perceptions towards surgical methods. Moreover, this study offered a distinct perspective for identifying potential issues, providing targeted health guidance and education to patients as a point of reference.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Keywords acquisition

To avoid discrepancies caused by the identification of different keywords, we utilized “arthroscopy” as the basic word and employed the original keywords available from Chinaz (https://data.chinaz.com/ci) for keyword mining. The top five keywords in terms of inclusion volume were “arthroscopy,” “arthroscopy surgery,” “knee arthroscopy,” “arthroscopy surgery sequelae,” and “arthroscopy surgery costs.” Since “arthroscopy surgery sequelae” and “arthroscopy surgery costs” have not yet been included in the BDI, we ultimately chose “arthroscopy,” “arthroscopy surgery,” and “knee arthroscopy” as the keywords in this study.

Data sources

The BDI was utilized to collect pertinent data, including the search index, information index, demand graph, and regional distribution for each keyword from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2023. However, in light of the constraints of the BDI tool and the research analysis necessities, this study recorded the search index, media index, and demand graph data each week, while regional distribution information was collected annually. The number of netizens was derived from the Statistical Report on the Development of China’s Internet.

Indicator definition

Search index: This index is based on the search volume of netizens on Baidu, which reflects the level of attention and continuous changes to a certain keyword. The data are divided into a PC search index and a mobile search index according to different data sources.

Information index: Based on the intelligent distribution and recommendation content data of Baidu, this index is weighted and summed on the basis of users’ behaviors of reading, commenting, forwarding, liking, and disliking. The information index reflects the degree of attention to news information on the internet for specific keywords and its continuous change.

Demand graph: This graph comprehensively calculates the degree of correlation between keywords and related words as well as the search demand size of related words themselves. This index reflects that the user’s behavior changes before and after searching for a certain keyword and the corresponding search term requirements. According to the intensity of the search index, the search terms with the strongest correlation with keywords were collected weekly.

Related word popularity: Based on user search behavior, the most popular and fastest-growing keywords in the relevant needs of segmented search keywords were identified and collected.

Regional distribution: Based on user search data, data mining methods were used to cluster and analyze the population attributes of keywords, providing the distribution and ranking of the user’s province and city levels. According to the search index of each keyword in different regions, the top ten regions of each keyword were collected yearly. In addition, the regional rankings were assigned scores ranging from 1 to 10, with the highest-ranked region awarded a score of 10 points and so on.

Statistical analysis

Excel (Microsoft Corp., WA, United States) was utilized to establish a database of BDI-related indicators from 2018 to 2023, and descriptive analysis was performed. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze the differences between the annual search index and the information index for each keyword. ArcGIS version 10.5 (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA, United States) was employed to map the ranking of provinces, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between the interests of netizens in different regions. Statistical significance was determined at P < 0.05.

The elasticity coefficient was used to measure the annual variation in netizens’ interest in related keywords via the following formula: K = (ΔB/B)/ (ΔW/W). In the equation, K represents the elasticity coefficient, B and ΔB represent the search value and its variation in the BDI, while W and ΔW indicate the number of netizens and its changes in the current period. When K > 1, the growth rate of netizens’ interest in related words is greater than the growth rate of the number of netizens. Conversely, if K < 1, it shows a slower growth rate of netizens’ interest.

RESULTS

Search overview

From 2018 to 2023, a total of 254692 items of information were searched with the keywords “arthroscopy,” “knee arthroscopy,” and “arthroscopy surgery” using the BDI, with an average of 695.88 items per day. Among them, 152452 items were searched through mobile terminals (accounting for 59.9%). Each keyword garnered information searches of 106227, 38139, and 110326 items, respectively, with a search profile similar to that of each keyword (Figure 1A). The search volume on mobile and the overall profile both showed irregular fluctuations (Figure 1B). However, the level of attention and coverage of related keywords on the internet showed multiple peaks and some seasonal fluctuations, especially in the years 2018, 2019, and 2022 (Figure 1C).

Figure 1 Arthroscopy search overview. A: Search index of each keyword; B: Different client search indices; C: Information index.

Elasticity coefficient

From 2018 to 2023, there was a noticeable fluctuation in the elasticity coefficient of online attention to arthroscopy. In terms of the search patterns of users, except for 2023, the elasticity coefficients were all less than 1 (Figure 2A). However, among mobile users, the elasticity coefficients in 2018, 2021, and 2023 were greater than 1 (Figure 2B), indicating a continuous change in the level of attention given to arthroscopy.

Figure 2 Changes in trend of elasticity coefficient of arthroscopy network attention from 2018 to 2023. A: Overall search index; B: Mobile search index.

Related words attention

The relevant keywords with strong relevance based on “arthroscopy,” “knee arthroscopy,” and “arthroscopy surgery” from 2018 to 2023 were summarized. The frequency of these keywords in each group is shown in Figure 3. The words related to “arthroscopy” included arthroscopic surgery, percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy, and knee arthroscopy (Figure 3A). The category “knee arthroscopy” focused primarily on arthroscopy, arthroscopic surgery, and percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (Figure 3B). “Arthroscopy surgery” mainly consisted of arthroscopy, meniscus suturing, and knee arthroscopy (Figure 3C).

Figure 3 The word cloud for each keyword from 2018 to 2023. A: The demand graph of arthroscopy; B: The demand graph of knee arthroscopy; C: The demand graph of arthroscopy surgery; D: The popular words of arthroscopy; E: The popular words of knee arthroscopy; F: The popular words of arthroscopy surgery.

A total of 2145 words related to “arthroscopy,” “knee arthroscopy,” and “arthroscopy surgery” were identified. Among these, 656 (30.6%) words were unrelated to medicine. For “arthroscopy,” netizens focused mainly on meniscal injury and the meniscus (Figure 3D). The words related to “knee arthroscopy” included arthroscope and meniscus (Figure 3E). For “arthroscopy surgery,” netizens focused on how to treat meniscus injury quickly and the meniscus (Figure 3F).

Spatial distribution of arthroscopy interests

The search data of netizens in different provinces with the keywords “arthroscopy,” “knee arthroscopy,” and “arthroscopy surgery” were weighted, and the top ten provinces in China were summarized. Except for Guangdong Province, the ranking has varied over the years in the Baidu user search data for each province (Figure 4A-F). Over the past 6 years, Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong Provinces presented relatively high levels of interest in arthroscopy (Figure 4G).

Figure 4 Spatial distribution of arthroscopy requirement, 2018-2023. A-F: From 2018 to 2023, respectively; G: Overall search region ranking for the past 6 years. Data was weighted based on the ranking of different years and keywords.

Regional distribution correlation analysis

Correlation analysis was conducted on the top ten provinces in terms of search volume rankings for each keyword over the past 6 years. A negative correlation in the overall interest of netizens between Zhejiang-Shanghai, Zhejiang-Hebei, and Hubei-Sichuan was found (Figure 5A). For the keyword “arthroscopy,” a negative correlation was found between Shanghai and Shandong (Figure 5B). For “knee arthroscopy,” Shandong-Jiangsu and Shanghai-Hubei exhibited negative correlations (Figure 5C). In terms of “arthroscopy surgery,” Zhejiang-Shanghai and Henan-Hebei were negatively correlated (Figure 5D).

Figure 5 Correlation analysis of netizens’ attention to arthroscopy in different regions. A: Overall situation; B: Arthroscopy; C: Knee arthroscopy; D: Arthroscopy surgery. Data were analyzed by Pearson-correlation. ^aP < 0.05, ^bP < 0.01.

DISCUSSION

With the proliferation of network information accessibility, the utilization of big data to explore specific keyword demand has gradually emerged as a new hotspot[22-24]. The BDI, a prominent data-sharing platform in China, provides search data that can reflect people’s actual requirements to some extent[25,26]. This study conducted keyword mining and analysis based on the BDI, focusing on terms such as “arthroscopy,” “knee arthroscopy,” and “arthroscopy surgery.” Moreover, it delves into the search profile, demand profile, geographical distribution, and other characteristics of these keywords. These findings revealed a gradual increase in attention to arthroscopy-related terms in recent years, with particular interest hotspots in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong.

Arthroscopy has become an essential method of minimally invasive surgery, providing convenience for the diagnosis and treatment of joint diseases in patients[4]. However, due to information asymmetry between doctors and patients, patients may search for information online when doctors recommend arthroscopic surgery or out of curiosity or lack of understanding of the surgical method. This analysis examined the trend of internet searches related to arthroscopy from 2018 to 2023, retrieving a total of 254692 information items. Also, the results revealed that the search profiles fluctuated annually and exhibited certain seasonal fluctuations. This may be attributed to the observance of various thematic days, such as World Arthritis Day on October 12^th and World Osteoporosis Day on October 20^th. During which medical institutions organize both online and offline promotional activities, thereby increasing media coverage and awareness campaigns. The above research revealed that people’s attention and information needs for arthroscopy changed with the passage of time and subject events. Additionally, people who search for arthroscopy online may either be in urgent need of surgical treatment or be hesitant about the surgical procedure.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center (https://www.cnnic.net.cn/) from 2018 to 2023, the number of mobile phone users in China increased from 0.82 billion to 1.08 billion, 99.8% of whom used mobile phones to access internet. Although the number of mobile internet users has increased annually, the search index and elasticity coefficient of mobile devices have both varied, which indirectly reflects the changing demand for arthroscopy among people. This may be attributed to advancements in communication technology and the rise in mobile phone users, which provide more convenience for individuals seeking information on arthroscopy and related topics. Given the growing number of netizens using mobile devices to access arthroscopy-related information, medical professionals and health educators should use mobile social media platforms to provide clear, detailed, and accurate information about arthroscopy, guiding their target audience towards a better understanding of the subject.

Similar to Google trends, the BDI has the ability to reflect users’ search intensity and interest in specific keywords[9]. This analysis revealed that netizens have different search demands for each keyword but focus mainly on the concept and methods of surgery. The popularity of related words provides insights into the most popular and fastest-rising words in the demands related to the central retrieval word while also being related to real-time information at specific time points[9,26]. During the 6-year period, a total of 2145 popular words were retrieved, while 30.6% of the information was not related to medicine at all. The above results suggest that nursing staff can develop targeted health education plans on the basis of changes in patients’ needs and hot topics for arthroscopy, ensuring that the education content matches the actual needs of patients.

Additionally, through the analysis of demand graphs and popularity words, it was found that netizens expect to learn about arthroscopic treatment plans and medical resources through online platforms. At this time, they will search for relevant hospital information. Moreover, they seek information about arthroscopy through online medical consultation platforms such as “Good Doctor” and “Good Physician.” However, the quality of health information resources on the internet varies significantly, which may cause confusion and misguided searches for users[27]. Therefore, providing genuine and accurate health education information and nursing knowledge for patients through authoritative platforms such as hospital websites and official accounts is recommended[28].

Another advantage of using the BDI is its ability to obtain the distribution of specific keywords in different regions[29]. Generally, the more widespread the internet is, the greater the likelihood that people will search for specific keyword information online[30]. This study revealed that people in different regions give varying levels of attention to arthroscopy. Compared with those in the western region of China, residents in east China gave more attention to arthroscopy. Regional distribution reflects the demand or attention of people in different regions for arthroscopy and is influenced by various factors, such as the economy, medical services, internet facilities, and the number of netizens[10,20,31].

Compared with Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and other economically developed regions, the central and western regions of China have more rural residents and elderly people, whose health literacy, public health awareness, medical care policies, and network accessibility are relatively low. These individuals typically wait to seek medical treatment until their condition worsens and may be misled by false information or even resort to so-called “folk remedies” to delay disease treatment[32]. This highlights the importance for medical staff to introduce arthroscopic treatment options with detailed information and employ a combination of family doctors, community publicity, and “Internet+” modes for knowledge dissemination[10].

This study had several limitations that need to be addressed. First, since the BDI can currently retrieve gender, age, and other information from the month before the data collection period, demographic characteristics were not taken into consideration in this study. Second, keyword-based BDI search may be influenced by continuous changes in individual search behavior, and some keywords that have not yet been included in the BDI platform may lead to an underestimation of its relevance. Third, the BDI only analyses search data from Baidu, whereas other social media platforms or search engines are not considered. An increase in search engines and user search preferences may also cause bias in the relevant data. Furthermore, this study presented only the top ten provinces in terms of netizens’ attention and preliminarily discussed the correlations between different regions. The spatial dependence between geographical proximity, information dissemination, and public interest in arthroscopy has not been explored.

CONCLUSION

In the era of the internet, online big data can reflect the real-world needs of the general public. In this study, the BDI platform was utilized to analyze the search volume, attention, and spatial distribution characteristics of Chinese netizens searching for arthroscopy for the first time. This approach enabled timely insights into patients’ attention changes throughout different periods before, during, and after arthroscopy. Nursing staff can fully leverage various channels to optimize nursing knowledge and postoperative rehabilitation education content, ensuring that the information provided matches patients’ actual needs. Additionally, it can help reduce information gaps between different disciplines to some extent.