Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study
BackgroundDiarrhea, a common symptom of gastrointestinal infections, can lead to severe complications and is a major cause of emergency department (ED) visits. ObjectiveThis study explored the temporal association between internet search queries for diarrhea and i...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JMIR Publications
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| Online Access: | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65101 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850267998722457600 |
|---|---|
| author | Jinsoo Kim Ansun Jeong Juseong Jin Sangjun Lee Do Kyoon Yoon Soyeoun Kim |
| author_facet | Jinsoo Kim Ansun Jeong Juseong Jin Sangjun Lee Do Kyoon Yoon Soyeoun Kim |
| author_sort | Jinsoo Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundDiarrhea, a common symptom of gastrointestinal infections, can lead to severe complications and is a major cause of emergency department (ED) visits.
ObjectiveThis study explored the temporal association between internet search queries for diarrhea and its synonyms and ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms.
MethodsWe used data from the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) and NAVER (Naver Corporation), South Korea’s leading search engine, from January 2017 to December 2021. After identifying diarrhea synonyms using ChatGPT, we compared weekly trends in relative search volumes (RSVs) for diarrhea, including its synonyms and weekly ED visits. Pearson correlation analysis and Granger causality tests were used to evaluate the relationship between RSVs and ED visits. We developed an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variables (ARIMAX) model to further predict these associations. This study also examined the age-based distribution of search behaviors and ED visits.
ResultsA significant correlation was observed between the weekly RSV for diarrhea and its synonyms and weekly ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms (ranging from 0.14 to 0.51, P<.05). Weekly RSVs for diarrhea synonyms, such as “upset stomach,” “watery diarrhea,” and “acute enteritis,” showed stronger correlations with weekly ED visits than weekly RSVs for the general term “diarrhea” (ranging from 0.20 to 0.41, P<.05). This may be because these synonyms better reflect layperson terminology. Notably, weekly RSV for “upset stomach” was significantly correlated with weekly ED visits for diarrhea and acute diarrhea at 1 and 2 weeks before the visit (P<.05). An ARIMAX model was developed to predict weekly ED visits based on weekly RSVs for diarrhea synonyms with lagged effects to capture their temporal influence. The age group of <50 years showed the highest activity in both web-based searches and ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms.
ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that weekly RSVs for diarrhea synonyms are associated with weekly ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms. By encompassing a nationwide scope, this study broadens the existing methodology for syndromic surveillance using ED data and provides valuable insights for clinicians. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa28820e135a4162b36946104ee3f2ab |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1438-8871 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa28820e135a4162b36946104ee3f2ab2025-08-20T01:53:34ZengJMIR PublicationsJournal of Medical Internet Research1438-88712025-05-0127e6510110.2196/65101Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory StudyJinsoo Kimhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8627-0348Ansun Jeonghttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1973-0009Juseong Jinhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-0718-9114Sangjun Leehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4080-0494Do Kyoon Yoonhttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-9598-3833Soyeoun Kimhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9158-5590 BackgroundDiarrhea, a common symptom of gastrointestinal infections, can lead to severe complications and is a major cause of emergency department (ED) visits. ObjectiveThis study explored the temporal association between internet search queries for diarrhea and its synonyms and ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms. MethodsWe used data from the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) and NAVER (Naver Corporation), South Korea’s leading search engine, from January 2017 to December 2021. After identifying diarrhea synonyms using ChatGPT, we compared weekly trends in relative search volumes (RSVs) for diarrhea, including its synonyms and weekly ED visits. Pearson correlation analysis and Granger causality tests were used to evaluate the relationship between RSVs and ED visits. We developed an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variables (ARIMAX) model to further predict these associations. This study also examined the age-based distribution of search behaviors and ED visits. ResultsA significant correlation was observed between the weekly RSV for diarrhea and its synonyms and weekly ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms (ranging from 0.14 to 0.51, P<.05). Weekly RSVs for diarrhea synonyms, such as “upset stomach,” “watery diarrhea,” and “acute enteritis,” showed stronger correlations with weekly ED visits than weekly RSVs for the general term “diarrhea” (ranging from 0.20 to 0.41, P<.05). This may be because these synonyms better reflect layperson terminology. Notably, weekly RSV for “upset stomach” was significantly correlated with weekly ED visits for diarrhea and acute diarrhea at 1 and 2 weeks before the visit (P<.05). An ARIMAX model was developed to predict weekly ED visits based on weekly RSVs for diarrhea synonyms with lagged effects to capture their temporal influence. The age group of <50 years showed the highest activity in both web-based searches and ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that weekly RSVs for diarrhea synonyms are associated with weekly ED visits for diarrhea-related symptoms. By encompassing a nationwide scope, this study broadens the existing methodology for syndromic surveillance using ED data and provides valuable insights for clinicians.https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65101 |
| spellingShingle | Jinsoo Kim Ansun Jeong Juseong Jin Sangjun Lee Do Kyoon Yoon Soyeoun Kim Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study Journal of Medical Internet Research |
| title | Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study |
| title_full | Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study |
| title_fullStr | Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study |
| title_short | Temporal Association Between ChatGPT-Generated Diarrhea Synonyms in Internet Search Queries and Emergency Department Visits for Diarrhea-Related Symptoms in South Korea: Exploratory Study |
| title_sort | temporal association between chatgpt generated diarrhea synonyms in internet search queries and emergency department visits for diarrhea related symptoms in south korea exploratory study |
| url | https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e65101 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jinsookim temporalassociationbetweenchatgptgenerateddiarrheasynonymsininternetsearchqueriesandemergencydepartmentvisitsfordiarrhearelatedsymptomsinsouthkoreaexploratorystudy AT ansunjeong temporalassociationbetweenchatgptgenerateddiarrheasynonymsininternetsearchqueriesandemergencydepartmentvisitsfordiarrhearelatedsymptomsinsouthkoreaexploratorystudy AT juseongjin temporalassociationbetweenchatgptgenerateddiarrheasynonymsininternetsearchqueriesandemergencydepartmentvisitsfordiarrhearelatedsymptomsinsouthkoreaexploratorystudy AT sangjunlee temporalassociationbetweenchatgptgenerateddiarrheasynonymsininternetsearchqueriesandemergencydepartmentvisitsfordiarrhearelatedsymptomsinsouthkoreaexploratorystudy AT dokyoonyoon temporalassociationbetweenchatgptgenerateddiarrheasynonymsininternetsearchqueriesandemergencydepartmentvisitsfordiarrhearelatedsymptomsinsouthkoreaexploratorystudy AT soyeounkim temporalassociationbetweenchatgptgenerateddiarrheasynonymsininternetsearchqueriesandemergencydepartmentvisitsfordiarrhearelatedsymptomsinsouthkoreaexploratorystudy |