Public interest in rheumatic diseases and rheumatologist in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Google Trends.
Rheumatol Int
; 41(2): 329-334, 2021 02.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-871457
ABSTRACT
To evaluate the public interest in rheumatic diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Google Trends was queried to analyze search trends in the United States for numerous rheumatic diseases and also the interest in a rheumatologist. Three 8-week periods in 2020 ((March 15-May 9), (May 10-July 4), and (July 5-August 29)) were compared to similar periods of the prior 4 years (2016-2019). Compared to a similar time period between 2016 and 2019, a significant decrease was found in the relative search volume for more than half of the search terms during the initial March 15-May 9, 2020 period. However, this trend appeared to reverse during the July 5-August 29, 2020 period where the relative volume for nearly half of the search terms were not statistically significant compared to similar periods of the prior 4 years. In addition, this period showed a significant increase in relative volume for the terms Axial spondyloarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, scleroderma, Kawasaki disease, Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, and rheumatologist. There was a significant decrease in relative search volume for many rheumatic diseases between March 15 and May 9, 2020 when compared to similar periods during the prior 4 years. However, the trends reversed after the initial period ended. There was an increase in relative search for the term "rheumatologist" between July and August 2020 suggesting the need for rheumatologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policymakers and healthcare providers should address the informational demands on rheumatic diseases and needs for rheumatologists by the general public during pandemics like COVID-19.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Rheumatology
/
Rheumatic Diseases
/
Information Seeking Behavior
/
Internet Use
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Rheumatol Int
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S00296-020-04728-9
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS