Analysis of Social Needs for Doctors and Medicine through a Keyword Analysis of Newspaper Articles (2016–2020)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore, using topic modeling, the social value of doctors and medicine demanded by society as reflected in published newspaper articles in Korea. Ultimately, this study aimed to reflect social needs in the process of developing the Patient-Centered Doctor’s Competency Framework in Korea. For this purpose, a total of 2,068 newspaper articles published from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed. Through topic modeling of these newspaper articles over the past 5 years, 18 topics were derived and divided into four categories. Focusing on the derived topics and keywords, the topics derived in specific years and the proportion of topics by year were analyzed. The results of this study make it possible to grasp the needs of society projected through the press for doctors and medicine. Due to the nature of the press, topics that frequently appeared in newspaper articles were mainly social phenomena related to requirements for doctors, particularly dealing with economic and legal aspects. In particular, it was confirmed that doctors are now required to have a wider range of competencies that go beyond their required medical knowledge and clinical skills. This study helped to establish doctors’ competencies by analyzing social needs for doctors through the latest research methods, and the findings could help to establish and improve doctors’ competencies through ongoing research in the future.