S700 Shifting Public Interest in Colonoscopy During and After COVID-19: A 10-Year Google Trends Study of Perioperative Search Terms

Introduction: Colonoscopy is a fundamental procedure for colorectal cancer screening. However, there is limited data whether public interest in colonoscopy has increased over the past decade. Additionally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic’s impact on patient interest in colonoscopy requires more insight along with which perioperative topics patients most commonly search online. Google Trends provides the relative search volume (RSV) for Google search terms. This study utilizes Google Trends to determine whether public interest in colonoscopy has changed between 2015 and 2025, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify which colonoscopy-related search terms reflect the highest patient interest. Methods: A retrospective study on public interest in colonoscopy was performed from January 2015 to June 2025 in the United States using Google Trends. Additionally, 50 perioperative search terms related to colonoscopy were identified through ChatGPT. The mean RSV was calculated for each term. RSV ranges from 0–100 and represents interest in a search term at a specific point during the time frame; 0 is minimal interest and 100 is peak interest. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared mean RSVs across terms, and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Public interest in colonoscopy declined significantly during the early COVID-19 pandemic (mean RSV: 44.0) compared to the pre-pandemic period (mean RSV: 49.8; P = 0.003), followed by a substantial rebound post-COVID (mean RSV: 82.2; P < 0.001 vs both earlier periods). Among the 50 search terms analyzed, several showed significant increases in public interest following COVID. For example, mean RSVs for “how much does a colonoscopy cost” (pre-COVID: 10.1 vs post-COVID: 58.4) and “colonoscopy prep not working” (pre-COVID: 6.6 vs post-COVID: 53.5) increased markedly (both P < 0.001), reflecting possible shifts in patient concerns and preparation challenges. Conclusion: Patient interest in colonoscopy significantly declined during the early COVID-19 pandemic but has since rebounded to peak levels. Patients are particularly interested in concerns related to bleeding, dietary restrictions, bowel preparation, cost, and procedural necessity. These findings can inform the development of more targeted, patient-centered educational materials that address the most frequently searched concerns regarding colonoscopy.