key: cord-1023440-ig9nqw1a
authors: Birabaharan, Morgan; Smith, Davey M; Wooten, Darcy
title: Internet Searches About Infectious Diseases Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic
date: 2020-07-21
journal: Open Forum Infect Dis
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa305
sha: 74c96074e39ae6cf6392081a01f18750f20f8b74
doc_id: 1023440
cord_uid: ig9nqw1a

The COVID- 19 pandemic has showcased the field of Infectious Diseases (ID). We used Google Trends to find that this newfound attention has led to higher interest in ID training.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on an unprecedented experience for trainees -a new disease plagued by insufficient medical knowledge, limited treatment options, and an abundance of foreseeable, yet unavoidable deaths. Further emotionally devastating, is the disproportionate toll the disease has on vulnerable populations including racial and ethnic minorities. Decades ago, the HIV crisis challenged healthcare providers intellectually, emotionally, and viscerally in much the same way that COVID-19 is currently impacting our community. Leaders in Infectious Diseases (ID) have commonly cited the historical experience of HIV as their steppingstone into the field. 1,2 Now, with many trainees facing similar circumstances, a rebirth of interest in the field of Infectious Diseases may be imminent. In a time where 20% of ID programs remain unfilled and the number of vacant positions is higher than comparable fields such as Rheumatology, Endocrinology, and Hematology/Oncology, the need to appreciate, nurture, and foster such interest is paramount. 3 To help assess the presence of increased interest, we examine the use of internet search data to identify and characterize interest in Infectious Diseases training.

We performed a cross-sectional analysis using Google Trends, a publicly available online tool that provides aggregated search volume for specific search terms. 4 Users can enter up to five variables for comparative purposes. We chose to compare search interest among Hematology/Oncology, Endocrinology, Infectious Diseases, Rheumatology, and Nephrology, as these were the 4 th -8 th most popular specialties, respectively, in the 2020 match as defined by number of applicants. We queried the search terms "Hematology Oncology Fellowship," Our analysis demonstrates that during Feb-May 2020, coinciding with the COVID 19 pandemic, there has been a higher search interest related to Infectious Diseases fellowship training compared to Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, and Hematology/Oncology. This contrasts with the year prior where web searches for other fellowships were commonly as or more popular than Infectious Diseases. Although promising, the use of RSV has limitations that warrant consideration. We cannot adjust for spikes driven by media publicity nor for searches not related to post-residency aspirations. However, reassuring, previous studies have validated google trends to be predictive of the supply and demand for medical specialties. 6, 7 The COVID-19 pandemic is a pivotal moment in the era of modern Medicine and has highlighted the importance of the field ofID. The experience may inspire a new wave of humanists and helpers to join the field, eager to answer the "calling" like many ID physicians before them did during the early HIV epidemic. It will be the responsibility of the current ID community to encourage, mentor, and facilitate opportunities for this new generation of Infectious Disease physicians. 

A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t

Life as an Infectious Diseases Physician Scientist: Science is Humanity's Lifeline

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Medicine

Charting the Future of Infectious Disease: Anticipating and Addressing the Supply and Demand Mismatch

Google Trends help analyzing data

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