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Deprecated: Implicit conversion from float 209.6 to int loses precision in C:\Inetpub\vhosts\kidney.de\httpdocs\pget.php on line 534 Am+J+Manag+Care 2010 ; 16 (8): e215-9 Nephropedia Template TP
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Using Search Engine Query Data to Track Pharmaceutical Utilization: A Study of Statins #MMPMID20690788
Schuster NM; Rogers MAM; McMahon LF
Am J Manag Care 2010[Aug]; 16 (8): e215-9 PMID20690788show ga
Objective: To examine temporal and geographic associations between Google queries for health information and healthcare utilization benchmarks. Study Design: Retrospective longitudinal study. Methods: Using Google Trends and Google Insights for Search data, the search terms Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium; Pfizer, Ann Arbor, MI) and simvastatin were evaluated for change over time and for association with Lipitor revenues. The relationship between query data and community-based resource use per Medicare beneficiary was assessed for 35 US metropolitan areas. Results: Google queries for Lipitor significantly decreased from January 2004 through June 2009 and queries for simvastatin significantly increased (P <.001 for both), particularly after Lipitor came off patent (P <.001 for change in slope). The mean number of Google queries for Lipitor correlated (r = 0.98) with the percentage change in Lipitor global revenues from 2004 to 2008 (P <.001). Query preference for Lipitor over simvastatin was positively associated (r = 0.40) with a community?s use of Medicare services. For every 1% increase in utilization of Medicare services in a community, there was a 0.2-unit increase in the ratio of Lipitor queries to simvastatin queries in that community (P = .02). Conclusions: Specific search engine queries for medical information correlate with pharmaceutical revenue and with overall healthcare utilization in a community. This suggests that search query data can track community-wide characteristics in healthcare utilization and have the potential for informing payers and policy makers regarding trends in utilization.