Quantifying Patient Demand for Orthopedics Care by Region Through Google Trends Analysis: Descriptive Epidemiology Study
Abstract BackgroundThere is a growing gap between the supply of surgeons and the demand for orthopedic services in the United States. ObjectiveWe analyzed publicly available online data to assess the correlation between the supply of orthopedic surgeons and patient...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JMIR Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Online Journal of Public Health Informatics |
| Online Access: | https://ojphi.jmir.org/2025/1/e63560 |
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| Summary: | Abstract
BackgroundThere is a growing gap between the supply of surgeons and the demand for orthopedic services in the United States.
ObjectiveWe analyzed publicly available online data to assess the correlation between the supply of orthopedic surgeons and patient demand across the United States. The geographic trends of this gap were assessed by using the relative demand index (RDI) to guide precision public health interventions such as resource allocation, residency program expansion, and workforce planning to specific regions.
MethodsThe data used were from the US Census Bureau, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through their 2024 Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) directory, AAMC State Physician Workforce Data Report, and Google Trends. We calculated the normalized relative search volume (RSV) and the RDI and compared them to the densities of orthopedic surgeons across the United States. We examined the disparities with the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
ResultsThe supply of orthopedic surgeons varied greatly across the United States, with a significantly higher demand for them in southern states (PPP
ConclusionsThis study showed that regional disparities in access to orthopedic care can be addressed by increasing orthopedic residencies. The study highlights the novel application of the RDI to mapping the regional need for orthopedics, and this map allows for better targeted resource allocation to expand orthopedic surgery training. |
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| ISSN: | 1947-2579 |