The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Digital Health-Seeking Behavior: Big Data Interrupted Time-Series Analysis of Google Trends.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Due to the emergency responses early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital health in health care increased abruptly. However, it remains unclear whether this introduction was sustained in the long term, especially with patients being able to decide between digital and traditional health services once the latter regained their functionality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

We aim to understand how the public interest in digital health changed as proxy for digital health-seeking behavior and to what extent this change was sustainable over time.

Methods

We used an interrupted time-series analysis of Google Trends data with break points on March 11, 2020 (declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization), and December 20,

SUBMITTER: van Kessel R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9848442 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature