Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK.
Department of Rheumatology, Aintree Hospital, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Liverpool, L9 7AL, UK.
Rheumatol Int. 2021 Apr;41(4):771-779. doi: 10.1007/s00296-020-04723-0. Epub 2020 Oct 19.
Patient and public involvement is essential in the design and implementation of research studies to ensure research remains relevant and in line with public priorities. Public views on a given area of research may be sought via platforms such as focus groups or surveys. Here, we present the use of an openly available Google search data query tool, which may be used alongside traditional forms of patient and public involvement in research to highlight public perceptions and priorities. We used an online search query tool ("AnswerThePublic.com") to explore public Google searches relating to "arthritis," and an exemplar rheumatic disease, "rheumatoid arthritis." The most common searches relating to these diseases included quality of life, treatment, prognosis, as well as impacts on life, including work. However, they also reveal concerns that may be more difficult to elicit in face-to-face focus groups, such as questions on alcohol consumption in arthritis, and impacts on mental health. Using public search engine data in research, alongside the important traditional methods of patient and public involvement, is a cost-effective and time-efficient method of gauging public views and concerns on a given topic. It may facilitate broad scoping searches of public priorities and help to guide future research questions.
患者和公众的参与对于研究的设计和实施至关重要，以确保研究仍然与公众的重点和需求保持一致。可以通过焦点小组或调查等平台来征求公众对特定研究领域的意见。在这里，我们展示了一种可公开获取的谷歌搜索数据查询工具的使用方法，该工具可与传统的患者和公众参与研究的形式结合使用，以突出公众的看法和优先事项。我们使用在线搜索查询工具（“AnswerThePublic.com”）来探索与“关节炎”和一个范例性的风湿性疾病“类风湿关节炎”相关的公众谷歌搜索。与这些疾病相关的最常见搜索包括生活质量、治疗、预后，以及对生活的影响，包括工作。然而，它们也揭示了一些可能更难以在面对面的焦点小组中引出的问题，例如关节炎患者的饮酒问题，以及对心理健康的影响。在研究中使用公共搜索引擎数据，以及患者和公众参与的重要传统方法，是衡量公众对特定主题的看法和关注点的一种具有成本效益和高效的方法。它可以促进对公众优先事项的广泛范围搜索，并有助于指导未来的研究问题。
