A Study on Major Uninsured Korean Medicine Treatments Search Trends and Their Meanings in an Online Portal: Using Naver Data Lab

Chan-Young Kwon; Kwon, Chan-Young

doi:10.13048/jkm.23032

JKM > Volume 44(3); 2023 > Article

Kwon: A Study on Major Uninsured Korean Medicine Treatments Search Trends and Their Meanings in an Online Portal: Using Naver Data Lab

Original Article

The Journal of Korean Medicine 2023; 44(3): 74-86.

Published online: September 1, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13048/jkm.23032

A Study on Major Uninsured Korean Medicine Treatments Search Trends and Their Meanings in an Online Portal: Using Naver Data Lab

Chan-Young Kwon

Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Dong-eui University College of Korean Medicine

Correspondence to: Chan-Young Kwon, Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Dong-eui University College of Korean Medicine, 52-57, Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-51-850-8808, Fax: +82-51-867-5162, E-mail: beanalogue@deu.ac.kr

Received July 14, 2023 Revised August 18, 2023 Accepted August 22, 2023

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine search trends and their meanings for major uninsuired Korean medicine (KM) treatments through analysis of an online portal search results.

Methods

Keywords searches were performed using Naver Datalab on 4 July 2023. From January 2016 to June 2023, monthly relative search volume (RSV) for keywords ‘pharmacopuncture’, ‘Chuna’, and ‘needle-embedding therapy’, and ‘herbal decoction’ were extracted with a score between 0 and 100. For the obtained RSVs, longitudinal changes over time, characteristics according to sex and age group, and correlations between them were investigated.

Results

The ranking of RSV for each keyword has changed from ‘Chuna’, ‘herbal decoction’, ‘needle-embedding therapy’, and ‘pharmacopuncture’ to ‘Chuna’, ‘herbal decoction’, ‘pharmacopuncture’, and ‘needle-embedding therapy’ after 2019. Overall, the RSV of needle-embedding therapy continuously decreased, while that of pharmacopuncture continuously increased. In 2019, a rapid increase in the RSV of Chuna was observed, and in 2020, a rapid increase in the RSV of herbal decoction was observed. There was a difference in the longitudinal change pattern of RSV for the keywords by age group. Importantly, in the elderly, changes in RSV were observed in a favorable pattern to KM treatment.

Conclusion

Our findings enable estimation of the public’s interest and its changes for the four uninsuired KM treatment, and can be used as basic data to strengthen health insurance coverage in Korea. Specifically, changes in interest in KM treatments according to sex and age can be referred to.

Keywords: Pharmacopuncture, Chuna, Thread-embedding therapy, Herbal decoction, Big data

Fig. 1

Search trends of the four major uninsured Korean medicine treatments classified by sex: (a) Women, (b) men.

Note. The x-axis of the graph represents the monthly time point, and the y-axis represents the relative search volume. The linear dotted line means the trend line, and the linear equation formula is calculated and displayed at the right end of the trend line.

Fig. 2

Search trends of the four major uninsured Korean medicine treatments classified by age group: (a) Minors, (b) Young, (c) Middle-aged, (d) Old.

Fig. 3

Correlation between relative search volume trends of four major uninsured Korean medicine treatments: (a) Women and men, (b) Minors and young, (c) Middle-aged and old.

Note. The value of cells indicates the CORREL correlation coefficient between −1 (negative) and 1 (positive). The color of the cell indicates the gradient and intensity. That is, the closer to orange, the stronger the positive correlation, and the closer to blue, the negative correlation (Divided into three levels: weak, moderate, and strong correlation, respectively).

Abbreviations. HD, herbal decoction; NET, needle-embedding therapy; P-Acup, pharmacopuncture.

참고문헌

1. Ministry of Health and Welfare. Korean Medicine Utilization and Herbal Medicine Consumption Survey, 2022, (2023.

2. Kim J., Kim Y.-H.The Benefits of the National Health Insurance and Oriental Medical Services. Society of Preventive Korean Medicine;(2007). 11:(1. p. 139-151.

3. Kim, H.-J., Byun, D.-Y., Kim, G.-B., Park, J., Kwon, Y.-S., & Yu, J.-E., et alThe Statistics Study on Patients visiting a Korean Medicine Hospital according to the Application of Chuna Therapy Health Insurance and Medical benefits. Journal of Korean Medicine, (2019). 40(3), 188-197. 10.13048/jkm.19034

4. Hong, M., & Lim, B.-M.A Study on the policy decision-making for the pilot project of herbal decoctions coverage in the National Health Insurance in 2012. Society of Preventive Korean Medicine, (2020). 24(2), 83-94. 10.25153/spkom.2020.24.2.008

5. National Development Institute of Korean Medicine. Korean Medicine Medicine Industry Statistics, 2022, (2023.

6. Kwon, S.Policy Issues in the Coverage of the National Health Insurance. Health and Welfare Policy Forum, (2019). (272), 5-14. 10.23062/2019.06.2

7. Kwon, S., Oh, J., Jung, Y., & Heo, J.Citizen Council for Health Insurance Policy Making. The Korean Journal of Health Economics and Policy, (2012). 18(3), 103-119.

8. Nuti, S.V., Wayda, B., Ranasinghe, I., Wang, S., Dreyer, R.P., & Chen, S.I., et alThe use of google trends in health care research: a systematic review. PLoS One, (2014). 9(10), e109583. 10.1371/journal.pone.0109583

9. Wang, L., Lee, J.-G., & Hwang, J.-H.A Big-Data Analysis on Older Adult’s Health and Safety Issues. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, (2019.

10. Cohen, S.A., Zhuang, T., Xiao, M., Michaud, J.B., Amanatullah, D.F., & Kamal, R.N.Google Trends Analysis Shows Increasing Public Interest in Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis. J Arthroplasty, (2021). 36(10), 3616-3622. 10.1016/j.arth.2021.05.040

11. Kim, Y., & Lee, S.A Study on the Trend and Meaning of Searching for Herbal Medicines in Online Portal Using Naver DataLab Search Trend Service. Kor J Herbol, (2021). 36(5), 15-28.

12. Kwon, C.-Y., & Kim, W.-I.Correlation Analysis among Searches of Hwa-Byung, Depression, and Suicide Using Big Data: from 2016 to 2022. J of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, (2023). 34(1), 13-21. 10.7231/jon.2023.34.1.013

13. Havelka, E.M., Mallen, C.D., & Shepherd, T.A.Using Google Trends to assess the impact of global public health days on online health information seeking behaviour in Central and South America. J Glob Health, (2020). 10(1), 010403. 10.7189/jogh.10.010403

14. Alibudbud, R.Google Trends for health research: Its advantages, application, methodological considerations, and limitations in psychiatric and mental health infodemiology. Front Big Data, (2023). 6, 1132764. 10.3389/fdata.2023.1132764

15. Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, Yonsei University Wonju Campus University-Industry Foundation, and Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. Planning to Develop New Payment Model matched to Clinical Practice Guideline of Korean Medicine, (2016.

16. Seo, Y., & Lee, S.Determinants for the Customers’ Satisfaction of the Portal Services. e-biz, (2010). 11(1), 45-68. 10.15719/geba.11.1.201003.45

17. Akoglu, H.User’s guide to correlation coefficients. Turk J Emerg Med, (2018). 18(3), 91-93. 10.1016/j.tjem.2018.08.001

18. Ajbar, A., Shepherd, T.A., Robinson, M., Mallen, C.D., & Prior, J.A.Using Google Trends to assess the impact of Global Public Health Days on online health information-seeking behaviour in Arabian Peninsula. J Egypt Public Health Assoc, (2021). 96(1), 4. 10.1186/s42506-020-00063-w

19. Chae, J.M., Lee, C.S., & Shin, K.-C.A Study of the Effect on the Public and Private Insurances Caused by National Health Insurance Coverage of Chuna Treatment. Korean Journal of Insurance, (2019). (118), 105-138. 10.17342/KIJ.2019.118.4

20. Kim, S., Ryu, J., Lee, K., Kwon, B., & Lim, B.-M.Patients’ Satisfaction with Chuna Manual Therapy in the Pilot Coverage Program of National Health Insurance. Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine, (2019.

21. Kim, J., Park, J.K., Park, J.Y., Lee, E.J., & Sung, S.H.The Use of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) by Children: A Correlational Study between Parent’s Perception and Their Children’s Use Reported by Parents. Healthcare (Basel), (2021). 9(4), 10.3390/healthcare9040385

22. Park, J., Yi, E., & Yi, J.The Provision and Utilization of Traditional Korean Medicine in South Korea: Implications on Integration of Traditional Medicine in a Developed Country. Healthcare (Basel), (2021). 9(10), 10.3390/healthcare9101379

23. Lee, jW. A Study on the Problems and Improvement of the medical service for Elderly People towards Super-aged Society. The Journal of Legal Studies, (2017). 25(4), 181-203.

24. Moon, J.Y., & Chung, S.Strengthening Information Access for the Elderly: Focused on Information Media Network Analysis by Age and Type of Information for Elderly in Seoul. Health and Social Welfare Review, (2020). 40(2), 283-320. 10.15709/hswr.2020.40.2.283