Trend Analysis: A Decision Tool in SA Healthcare

The use of medical surveillance and predictive analysis is now more readily available through the intelligent use of modern technology with the use of software tools. Google Trends (GT) is an internet research tool initially utilised for the surveillance of the occurrence of influenza (Flu) internet search trends. Within the last 20 years the internet has become integral to health surveillance by reducing the time to the actual recognition of a disease outbreak, or the detection of a disease trend. GT primarily focused on detecting an outbreak of various strains of the Flu infecting different regions, sporadically or endemically, by monitoring the internet user seeking such medical information. It is currently utilised as an adjunct to the traditional surveillance tools used in traditional modern medicine. In this paper we have attempted to apply such search criteria using GT within a typical healthcare scenario or disease trend. We focused on the most common diseases found within the South African healthcare environment and presented the results accordingly. The results were found to be aligned to the results of traditional medical surveillance tools. The GT results presented in this paper may have similar applications in other areas of medicine and disease monitoring efforts in South Africa whereby the general population can derive meaningful insights of such disease trends. In addition there is a distinct awareness of this research tool, where many users are utilising the tool for healthcare searches which is becoming more evident in the medical literature.