Public Information-Seeking Behavior in Primary Care: A National Case Study of Türkiye

Objective This study utilizes digital epidemiology to examine public engagement with family medicine in Türkiye, aiming to inform strategies for optimizing primary care delivery and reducing health disparities. Method This observational study analyzed public interest in family medicine in Türkiye using Google Trends data between January 2018 and April 2025, following the STROBE guidelines. A total of 56 keywords were selected based on expert consensus and search volume assessment, excluding redundant or low-volume queries. Statistical analyses, including Mann-Kendall (MK) trend tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and OLS regression, were conducted using Python (v3.12; Python Software Foundation, Delaware, USA). To control for type I error across multiple comparisons, all p-values were adjusted using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) procedure. Practical significance was further evaluated using Eta-squared (η²) and Cohen’s d effect sizes, and model robustness was verified via regression diagnostics (Durbin-Watson and Shapiro-Wilk tests). Results Long-term interest in family medicine services demonstrated significant growth, with “what is a family physician?” (τ = 0.759, pFDR < 0.001) and “family health center” (τ = 0.558, pFDR < 0.001) emerging as the most prominent upward trends. Seasonal analysis revealed significant variation for “family physician” (η² = 0.232, pFDR = 0.003), with peaks in winter and fall, aligning with respiratory illness cycles. Impact analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed a sustained transition to digital platforms, particularly for the “Central Physician Appointment System” (new-normal Cohen’s d = 5.05, pFDR < 0.001). Regionally, while metropolitan centers dominated general appointment searches, specific healthcare needs were highlighted by unique regional patterns, such as the high search intensity for “family physician on-call” in Ordu. Conclusion Although public interest in family medicine has steadily increased, significantly accelerated by the pandemic's shift to digital platforms, information gaps regarding the scope of services remain. Furthermore, geographic disparities in search behavior point to a potential "digital shadow" in rural areas, suggesting localized informational deficits. These digital footprints provide hypothesis-generating insights that health administrators may consider as supplementary tools for regional planning and guiding digital literacy initiatives in underserved regions.