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

Objective To assess trends of Google Search queries for symptoms and complaints encountered commonly in otolaryngology practices during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic when in-person care has been limited. Materials and methods In this cross-sectional study, data on Google Search queries in the United States for 30 otolaryngology-related terms were obtained from Google Trends. The means of relative search volume from the COVID-19 period (March 29, 2020 through May 16, 2020) were compared to similar periods from 2016 to 2019 using a t-test of two independent samples. Results In total, 16.6% of search terms had significant increases in relative search volume during the COVID-19 period, with the largest percentage increase for “can't smell” (124.4%, p = .006), followed by “allergies” (30.3%, p = .03), “voice pain” (26.1%, p = .008), and “ears ringing” (19.0%, p
Highlights • Otolaryngology-related Google Search activity changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Google Trends provides important insights into patients' needs during a pandemic. • Internet search data can guide teleheath implementation in otolaryngology practices.