Evaluating Patient Interest in Orthopedic Telehealth Services Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Publication/Presentation Date

7-1-2021

Abstract

Background Patient interest and demand may have an impact on dictating the scope of orthopedic telehealth utilization beyond the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess whether current interest in orthopedic telehealth services is higher than pre-pandemic levels. Specific trends in interest, subspecialty differences, and regional differences were secondarily assessed. Methodology A Google Trends search was performed to assess orthopedic telehealth search interest over the last five years using the terms "Orthopedic surgeon/doctor/injury/pain + Telehealth" as well as subspecialty-specific terms. The results were formulated into combined search interest values (CSIVs), with a maximum possible value of 400, and compared between the pre-pandemic period, pre-vaccine period during the pandemic, and post-vaccine period. Results The pre-pandemic period mean CSIV was 40.3 (SD = 6.3), compared to 134.7 (SD = 72.1) during the pre-vaccine period, and 96.3 (SD = 4.4) during the post-vaccine period (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between CSIV and time (increasing weeks) during the pre-pandemic period (r

Volume

13

Issue

7

First Page

16523

Last Page

16523

ISSN

2168-8184

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

34430133

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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