Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality
<i>Background</i>: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most prevalent bacterial infections. With many patients turning to the Internet as a health resource, this study seeks to understand public engagement with online resources concerning recurrent UTIs (rUTIs), assess their re...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/12/1125 |
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| author | Sapna Thaker Justin Y. H. Chan Karan N. Thaker Rebecca A. Takele Abigail F. Newlands Kayleigh Maxwell Yasin Bhanji Melissa Kramer Kymora B. Scotland |
| author_facet | Sapna Thaker Justin Y. H. Chan Karan N. Thaker Rebecca A. Takele Abigail F. Newlands Kayleigh Maxwell Yasin Bhanji Melissa Kramer Kymora B. Scotland |
| author_sort | Sapna Thaker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background</i>: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most prevalent bacterial infections. With many patients turning to the Internet as a health resource, this study seeks to understand public engagement with online resources concerning recurrent UTIs (rUTIs), assess their reliability, and identify common questions/concerns about rUTIs. <i>Methods</i>: Social media analysis tool BuzzSumo was used to calculate online engagement (likes, shares, comments, views) with information on rUTIs. The reliability of highly engaged articles was evaluated using the DISCERN questionnaire. Highly engaged categories were entered as keywords in Google Trends to quantify search interest. To categorize patient-specific concerns, a database containing anonymously collected patient questions about rUTIs was created. <i>Results</i>: BuzzSumo revealed four search categories: general information, treatment, causes, and herbal remedies. DISCERN scores indicated moderate reliability overall; however, the “herbal remedies” category demonstrated poor reliability despite high engagement. Google Trends analysis highlighted “causes” and “treatment” searches as highest in relative interest. The 10 most popular categories of concern were antibiotics, microbiome, vaccines, prevention, pelvic pain, sex, testing, symptoms, diet/lifestyle, and hormones. <i>Conclusions</i>: People living with rUTIs demonstrate key concerns and often seek information online, yet articles with high engagement often contain unreliable information. Healthcare professionals may consider counteracting misinformation by providing evidence-based information online about rUTIs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5a6df71f9c1b440ab1c97bd993e6249e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-5a6df71f9c1b440ab1c97bd993e6249e2025-08-20T02:39:41ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172024-12-011312112510.3390/pathogens13121125Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication QualitySapna Thaker0Justin Y. H. Chan1Karan N. Thaker2Rebecca A. Takele3Abigail F. Newlands4Kayleigh Maxwell5Yasin Bhanji6Melissa Kramer7Kymora B. Scotland8Department of Urology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USADepartment of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S3H2, CanadaDepartment of Urology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USASUNY Downstate Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, Brooklyn, NY 11225, USASchool of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, UKLive UTI Free Ltd., D18 NW62 Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USASchool of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 7BE, UKDepartment of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA<i>Background</i>: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most prevalent bacterial infections. With many patients turning to the Internet as a health resource, this study seeks to understand public engagement with online resources concerning recurrent UTIs (rUTIs), assess their reliability, and identify common questions/concerns about rUTIs. <i>Methods</i>: Social media analysis tool BuzzSumo was used to calculate online engagement (likes, shares, comments, views) with information on rUTIs. The reliability of highly engaged articles was evaluated using the DISCERN questionnaire. Highly engaged categories were entered as keywords in Google Trends to quantify search interest. To categorize patient-specific concerns, a database containing anonymously collected patient questions about rUTIs was created. <i>Results</i>: BuzzSumo revealed four search categories: general information, treatment, causes, and herbal remedies. DISCERN scores indicated moderate reliability overall; however, the “herbal remedies” category demonstrated poor reliability despite high engagement. Google Trends analysis highlighted “causes” and “treatment” searches as highest in relative interest. The 10 most popular categories of concern were antibiotics, microbiome, vaccines, prevention, pelvic pain, sex, testing, symptoms, diet/lifestyle, and hormones. <i>Conclusions</i>: People living with rUTIs demonstrate key concerns and often seek information online, yet articles with high engagement often contain unreliable information. Healthcare professionals may consider counteracting misinformation by providing evidence-based information online about rUTIs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/12/1125urinary tract infectionsrecurrent urinary tract infectionspatient concernspatient engagementhealth-related information |
| spellingShingle | Sapna Thaker Justin Y. H. Chan Karan N. Thaker Rebecca A. Takele Abigail F. Newlands Kayleigh Maxwell Yasin Bhanji Melissa Kramer Kymora B. Scotland Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality Pathogens urinary tract infections recurrent urinary tract infections patient concerns patient engagement health-related information |
| title | Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality |
| title_full | Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality |
| title_fullStr | Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality |
| title_full_unstemmed | Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality |
| title_short | Public Interest in Online Information on Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Is Greatest for Information with the Poorest Publication Quality |
| title_sort | public interest in online information on recurrent urinary tract infections is greatest for information with the poorest publication quality |
| topic | urinary tract infections recurrent urinary tract infections patient concerns patient engagement health-related information |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/12/1125 |
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