BACKGROUND: The U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) rankings have been a topic of debate. There is significant dissent within the pediatric urology community regarding their value and many are concerned about the rankings' validity and the focus on non-patient-centered metrics. This study aims to evaluate the impact of USNWR rankings on public search patterns for pediatric urology institutions using big data analysis.
METHODS: We utilized Google Trends to analyze search patterns related to USNWR Best Hospitals Rankings and specific pediatric urology institutions from December 2018 to December 2023. The study focused on a range of search terms, including the names of the top-3, middle-, and low/un-ranked institutions and generic terms related to pediatric urology. Time series analysis, Granger causality tests (lags 1 to 4), and cross-correlation (lags -7 to +7) were employed to determine the impact of USNWR rankings on public search volumes.
RESULTS: Our time-series analysis revealed no significant changes in search volumes for pediatric urology institutions corresponding with the release of USNWR rankings (Figure 1, 2; p=NS for all search terms). There was also no consistent positive correlation between the rankings and search volumes for these institutions, with maximum correlation coefficient consistently <0.3 for all institutions. Granger causality tests further indicated that the USNWR rankings do not predict search patterns (p=NS for all institutions and all lags evaluated; Table 1). Interestingly, geographical proximity appeared to be a more significant factor in search volumes than the institutions' rankings (Figure 3).
CONCLUSIONS:
USNWR pediatric urology rankings appear to have minimal influence on how the public searches for pediatric urology institutions. These findings challenge the perceived importance of such rankings in affecting patient and family decisions. Institutions should focus on providing high-quality, patient-centered care, independent of their position in a ranking system.
