Interest in Telehealth for Obstetrics and Gynecology During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in a plethora of healthcare challenges. To adapt, many health systems implemented telehealth interventions. This retrospective study using data from March 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 evaluates the relationship between the daily reported number of new COVID-19 cases and corresponding changes to search volume on obstetrics and gynecology telehealth visits. Google Trends™ outputs were compared to COVID-19 case data for the time period and region as provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Spearman’s correlation coefficient (ρ) was used to determine the strength of the relationship between new cases and relative search volumes (RSVs) related to obstetrics and gynecology telehealth. Globally, there was a significant positive strong correlation between public interest regarding telehealth in obstetrics and gynecology and new COVID-19 cases (ρ=0.986, p-value<0.001). However, the United States and Mexico demonstrated non-significant poor correlations. Brazil exhibited a positive fair correlation. Based on this retrospective study, there was a steady rise in public interest in telehealth usage for obstetrics and gynecology throughout the pandemic. Increased telehealth intervention in the field of obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) has shown promising initial results. There are numerous considerations for utilizing telehealth for surgical specialties such as ob-gyn.