Evaluating Patient Interest in Orthopedic Telehealth Services Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Patient interest and demand may have an impact on dictating the scope of orthopedic telehealth utilization beyond the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess whether current interest in orthopedic telehealth services is higher than pre-pandemic levels. Specific trends in interest, subspecialty differences, and regional differences were secondarily assessed. Methodology A Google Trends search was performed to assess orthopedic telehealth search interest over the last five years using the terms “Orthopedic surgeon/doctor/injury/pain + Telehealth” as well as subspecialty-specific terms. The results were formulated into combined search interest values (CSIVs), with a maximum possible value of 400, and compared between the pre-pandemic period, pre-vaccine period during the pandemic, and post-vaccine period. Results The pre-pandemic period mean CSIV was 40.3 (SD = 6.3), compared to 134.7 (SD = 72.1) during the pre-vaccine period, and 96.3 (SD = 4.4) during the post-vaccine period (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between CSIV and time (increasing weeks) during the pre-pandemic period (r(s) = .77, p < 0.001) and no significant correlation between CSIV and time during the post-vaccine period (r(s) = -.12, p = 0.610). Using the slope of the interest line during the post-vaccine period (y = 97.06 - 0.08x) it would take an additional 13.3 years beyond the study period to reach the mean pre-pandemic CSIV level of 40.3. Hand surgery was the subspecialty with the highest mean CSIV over the study period and general search interest was highest in Northeastern and Southeastern states during the post-vaccine period. Conclusions Orthopedic telehealth interest was growing before the COVID-19 pandemic and remains significantly elevated beyond pre-pandemic levels despite the reopening of clinical offices and vaccine availability across the country. It appears that a subset of patients will continue to seek telehealth services beyond the pandemic.