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Otolaryngology-related Google Search trends during the COVID-19 pandemic

Matthew M Pier1, Luke J Pasick2, Daniel A Benito3

  • 1Drexel University College of Medicine, 2900 W Queen Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19129, United States of America.

American Journal of Otolaryngology
|July 14, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Google searches for otolaryngology symptoms like "can't smell" and "allergies" increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversely, terms like "laryngitis" and "thyroid cancer" saw significant decreases in search volume.

Area of Science:

  • Otolaryngology
  • Public Health
  • Digital Epidemiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly limited in-person healthcare access, including otolaryngology services.
  • Understanding patient information-seeking behavior online is crucial for healthcare providers.
  • Google Search trends can reflect public health concerns and symptom prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in Google Search queries for common otolaryngology symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To compare search volumes during the pandemic with pre-pandemic periods (2016-2019).

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study analyzing Google Search query data in the United States.
  • 30 otolaryngology-related terms were tracked using Google Trends.
  • Relative search volumes during the COVID-19 period (March 29, 2020 - May 16, 2020) were compared to 2016-2019 using t-tests.

Main Results:

  • 16.6% of otolaryngology search terms showed significant increases in relative search volume.
  • The largest increase was observed for "can't smell" (124.4%), followed by "allergies" (30.3%).
  • 26.7% of terms showed significant decreases, including "laryngitis" (59.8%) and "thyroid cancer" (45.6%).

Conclusions:

  • Google search activity for many otolaryngology terms significantly changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Increased searches for certain symptoms and decreased searches for others reflect altered patient concerns and access to care.
  • These trends are important for otolaryngology practices to adapt to patient needs amidst limited in-office access.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19Google TrendsInternet searchOtolaryngologyTelehealth

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