Declining interest in clinical imaging during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of Google Trends data.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Current evidence suggests a decrease in elective diagnostic imaging procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic with potentially severe long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to quantify recent trends in public interest and related online search behavior for a range of imaging modalities, and "nowcast" future scenarios with respect to imaging use.

Methods

We used Google Trends, a publicly available database to access search query data in systematic and quantitative fashion, to search for key terms related to clinical imaging. We queried the search volume for multiple imaging modalities, identified the most common terms, extracted data for the United States over the time range from August 1, 2016 to August 1, 2020. Results were given in relative terms, using

SUBMITTER: Adelhoefer S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9758652 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature