David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles.
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
JAMA Ophthalmol. 2022 Jun 1;140(6):639-642. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.1000.
Given that direct-to-consumer advertising campaigns have the potential to both positively and negatively affect patient care, clinicians would benefit from being conscious of changes in public interest that result from such campaigns.
To understand how direct-to-consumer advertising was associated with information-seeking behavior based on Google Trends.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This descriptive cross-sectional study used Google Trends to examine relative search volumes for thyroid eye disease (TED) from January 1, 2004, to June 30, 2021, in the US. The data for this cross-sectional study were downloaded on October 17, 2021. This study included internet search engine queries originating within the US, as determined by Google Trends.
Monthly changes in relative search volumes for the terms "thyroid eye disease," "Tepezza," and "teprotumumab."
From January 1, 2004, through June 30, 2019, searches for TED demonstrated a stable baseline level with a mean (SD) relative search volume of 1.78 (1.25). After US Food and Drug Administration approval of teprotumumab in January 2020, TED searches increased by 25%. After the manufacturer of teprotumumab ran its first national television commercial in December 2020, a 525% increase in TED searches was observed. After a second series of national television advertisements for teprotumumab in May 2021, TED searches increased by 640%.
Findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that direct-to-consumer advertising campaigns for teprotumumab may have been associated with an increase in internet search traffic for TED. Google Trends may serve as a useful tool for measuring the influence of pharmaceutical advertising campaigns on information-seeking behavior in the public. Additional studies are warranted to determine how these changes in public interest correlate with clinical measures, such as referral patterns.
鉴于直接面向消费者的广告活动有可能对患者护理产生积极和消极的影响，临床医生应该意识到此类广告活动所导致的公众兴趣变化。
了解直接面向消费者的广告如何通过 Google Trends 与信息搜索行为相关联。
设计、设置和参与者：这项描述性的横断面研究使用 Google Trends 来检查 2004 年 1 月 1 日至 2021 年 6 月 30 日期间，美国甲状腺眼病 (TED) 的相对搜索量。这项横断面研究的数据于 2021 年 10 月 17 日下载。本研究包括美国境内的互联网搜索引擎查询，这是由 Google Trends 确定的。
“甲状腺眼病”、“Tepezza”和“teprotumumab”术语的相对搜索量的每月变化。
从 2004 年 1 月 1 日至 2019 年 6 月 30 日，TED 的搜索显示出稳定的基线水平，平均（SD）相对搜索量为 1.78（1.25）。2020 年 1 月美国食品和药物管理局批准 teprotumumab 后，TED 的搜索量增加了 25%。在 teprotumumab 的制造商于 2020 年 12 月播出其首个全国性电视广告后，TED 的搜索量增加了 525%。在 2021 年 5 月播出第二系列 teprotumumab 的全国性电视广告后，TED 的搜索量增加了 640%。
这项横断面研究的结果表明，teprotumumab 的直接面向消费者的广告活动可能与互联网上 TED 的搜索流量增加有关。Google Trends 可能是衡量药品广告活动对公众信息搜索行为影响的有用工具。需要进一步的研究来确定这些公众兴趣的变化与临床指标（如转诊模式）如何相关。
