Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Interest in Minimally Invasive Surgery: An Infodemiology Study Using Google Trends

Abstract

Background The pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted the healthcare system worldwide, leading to the suspension of elective surgeries and a decline in the utilization of minimally invasive surgeries (MIS). However, an objective parameter depicting the degree of decline of MIS is lacking. We aim to indirectly evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of MIS performed by the surgeons by evaluating the public interest in MIS using Google Trends. Methods A Google Trends search using the string ["laparoscopic" + "minimally invasive" + "robotic surgery"] was performed on June 2, 2021. The monthly relative search volume (RSV) indices were compared with the number of reported COVID-19 cases during the same period. Results RSV was highest between August 2018 and February 2020. RSV at the start of the pandemic was 95 but had declined to 51 during the first COVID-19 peak in April 2020 and 80 during the second peak in May 2021. Conclusion The monthly RSV related to MIS on Google Trends is a good tool to indirectly estimate the degree of decline in the number of MIS (both laparoscopic and robotic) performed worldwide during the pandemic.