Internet search analysis on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: What do people ask and read online?

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize the content of frequently asked questions about the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the internet in Japan and to evaluate the quality of websites related to the questions.

Methods: We searched terms on the treatment of RA on Google and extracted frequently asked questions generated by the Google "people also ask" function. The website that answered each question was also obtained. We categorized the questions based on the content. The quality of the websites was evaluated using the brief DISCERN, Journal of American Medical Association benchmark criteria, and Clear Communication Index.

Results: Our search yielded 83 questions and the corresponding websites. The most frequently asked questions were regarding the timeline of treatment (n = 17, 23%) and those on the timeline of the clinical course (n = 13, 16%). The median score of brief DISCERN was 11 points, with only 7 (8%) websites having sufficient quality. Websites having sufficient quality based on the Journal of American Medical Association benchmark criteria and Clear Communication Index were absent.

Conclusions: The questions were most frequently related to the timeline of treatment and clinical course. Physicians should provide such information to patients with RA in the counseling and education materials.