<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.f3b1fba60ec7970c.css">

Short CommunicationInternational Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health

Publication:
Antibiotics on the rise: Google trends as a monitoring tool in India

Int J Community Med Public Health. 2022;9(1):316-319.DOI10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214810

Thumbnail Image

Files

ijcmph-9216.pdf (191.78 KB)
View on the journal's website

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put enormous strains on health care and public sector resources globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The extensive and often inept use of antibiotics during the pandemic is suspected. Data from Google trends (GT) enables the assessment of Google users' interest in a specific topic. A strong correlation between active COVID-19 cases and GT search terms of antibiotics (r=0.90) azithromycin (r=0.96) and doxycycline (r=0.93) were noticed with p<0.05. However, hydroxychloroquine (r=0.21) was not significant. Further investigation is needed to determine GT as a possible adjunctive monitoring tool for antibiotic use and formulate drug resistance patterns in India.

Keywords

Affiliations

  1. Avalon University School of Medicine, 212 Churchill Hubbard Road Youngstown, OH, USA
  2. Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, Don Eugenio Lopez Sr. Medical Complex, Ortigas Ave, Pasig, 1604 Metro Manila, Philippines
  3. Division of research, Eurasian Cancer Research Council (ECRC), Chembur, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
  4. University of Health Science Antigua, Dr. Yele Akande Drive, Piccadilly, Antigua & Barbuda
  5. Saint James School of Medicine, 1480 Renaissance Drive, Suite 300 Park Ridge, IL, USA
  6. Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram, Kerala, India
  7. China Medical School, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China
  8. JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysore, Karnataka, India
  9. The University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania, USA

Full item record