ArticleAesthetic plastic surgery2020
What is the UK Public Searching for? A Correlation Analysis of Google Trends Search Terms and Cosmetic Surgery in the UK.
Article in Aesthetic plastic surgery, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSearch engine optimisation (SEO) in plastic surgery practice is crucial for increasing web traffic. Knowing what patients are searching for online can help plastic surgeons understand public interest, enhance patient engagement, and improve service provision. This study analyses the correlation between Google Trends (GT) search activity and the number of cosmetic procedures carried out in the UK.
methodsGT search term data were analysed for popularity of use and geographical variation in the UK. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to analyse GT data against the number of cosmetic surgery procedures undertaken in the UK in the corresponding year and with 1-year time lag.
resultsGT score was higher for most colloquial search terms, such as "tummy tuck" compared to "abdominoplasty" (GT score 59 vs 6), but "otoplasty" was higher than "ear correction" (GT score 55 vs 19). Geographical variation showed that London ranked first in proportional search term activity for "brow lift" and Birmingham for "tummy tuck". There was statistically significant positive correlation for three search terms and the number of corresponding surgeries undertaken. This increased to nine search terms when analysed with a 1-year time lag.
conclusionThese results highlight the trends in online search activity in the UK and their correlation with cosmetic procedures. The higher number of significant correlations with 1-year time lag may reflect the patient's decision-making journey to undergo cosmetic surgery. These results can be utilised for SEO, thus leading to a better-informed public and more robust practice building. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
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