Sinus Surgery and Balloon Sinuplasty: What Do Patients Want to Know?

Abstract

Objective Limited knowledge exists regarding the information patients seek online about sinus procedures. The goals of our study were to identify the most searched online queries regarding functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and balloon sinuplasty and evaluate the sources to which patients are directed. Study Design Observational. Setting Online Google Database. Methods Google data were analyzed using the search engine optimization tool Ahrefs. People Also Ask (PAA) questions (extracted from Google searches) helped identify questions for analysis of search query volume. Search results were categorized into specific topics, and the source (eg, academic vs medical practice) of the information was identified. The JAMA benchmark criteria were used to determine the quality of the online resource. Results The most searched term (average monthly queries) on Google was “sinus surgery” (13,190), followed by “balloon sinuplasty” (9212). For FESS and balloon sinuplasty, most questions focused on treatment of sinusitis (71.64% vs 79.19%) and preoperative inquiries about sinus issues (11.50% vs 11.35%). Answers to PAA questions for FESS were obtained from academic sources at a higher frequency compared to balloon sinuplasty (26.7% vs 10.3%, P = .016) but a lower frequency from medical practice websites (15.2% vs 29.3%, P = .042). The mean (SD) JAMA scores for FESS and balloon sinuplasty sources were 1.59 (1.46) and 1.40 (1.46), respectively. Conclusion There is a high volume of online search queries regarding FESS and balloon sinuplasty. The quality of the sources could be improved by addressing authorship, attribution, disclosure, and currency. This information may help otolaryngologists better address patient queries.

Human papillomavirus related oropharyngeal cancer: identifying and quantifying topics of patient interest

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Internet search analysis on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: What do people ask and read online?

“…As reported in the previous studies [8,12,13], the questions in PAA were first classified into three broad categories: fact, policy, and value, using the Rothwell classification of questions (Table 1) [22]. Fact questions were further sub-classified into six groups: general, mechanism, timeline of treatment, technical details, and cost.…”

“…Therefore, using the Google PAA, we can retrieve the most commonly asked questions and associated websites concerning specific medical conditions. The PAA analysis has been used to clarify the public's questions on total joint arthroplasty, sinus surgery, and COVID-19 vaccines [8,12,13]. However, studies analyzing the frequently asked questions on the treatment of RA using PAA are lacking.…”

Online Searches Related to Total Laryngectomy

“…Furthermore, the internet is an important information source for health care providers, trainees, and researchers interested in learning about TL. Using Google (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA) search behavior as a representative survey of general online search activity, prior literature has evaluated common Google web analytics related to rhinoplasty, 4 FESS, 5 and joint arthroplasty 6 . Through this analytic tool, the most commonly asked questions related to an individual topic are now able to be assessed for search volume and the quality and readability of the associated material can be assessed.…”