What's trending in the infection prevention and control literature? From HIS 2012 to HIS 2014, and beyond

Association of COVID-19 with lifestyle behaviours and socio-economic variables in Turkey: An analysis of Google Trends

This study aims to examine the relationship between COVID‐19 cases/deaths and Google data on lifestyle behaviours and socio‐economic variables in Turkey. The data of the research are composed of Google Trends search volume for various words related to socio‐economic conditions, nutritional attitudes, indoor behaviour, outdoor activities and confirmed COVID‐19 case and death data from the Ministry of Health from 31 December 2019 to 31 January 2021. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the Google search volumes of selected keywords and COVID‐19 case and deaths. In addition, repeated ANOVA and Bonferroni post‐hoc tests were performed to compare the differences in search volumes of selected keywords before and during the COVID‐19 outbreak. Correlation analysis showed that the strongest variables in each category were vitamin C, zinc, Zoom, online shopping, hotel, market, gym, unemployment and unemployment benefit. Compared to previous years, during the pandemic, there was a significant increase or decrease in the search volumes of almost all words. These results showed that the COVID‐19 significantly changed people's online interests regarding lifestyle behaviours and socio‐economic conditions. It is thought that the findings can guide health policies to be followed in reducing the effects of both behavioural changes and negative socio‐economic consequences.

Correlations Between COVID-19 Cases and Google Trends Data in the United States: A State-by-State Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether a digital surveillance model using Google Trends is feasible for obtaining accurate data on coronavirus disease 2019 and whether accurate predictions can be made regarding new cases.

METHODS

Data on total and daily new cases in each US state were collected from January 22, 2020, to April 6, 2020. Information regarding 10 keywords was collected from Google Trends, and correlation analyses were performed for individual states as well as for the United States overall.

RESULTS

Among the 10 keywords analyzed from Google Trends, face mask, Lysol, and COVID stimulus check had the strongest correlations when looking at the United States as a whole, with R values of 0.88, 0.82, and 0.79, respectively. Lag and lead Pearson correlations were assessed for every state and all 10 keywords from 16 days before the first case in each state to 16 days after the first case. Strong correlations were seen up to 16 days prior to the first reported cases in some states.

CONCLUSION

This study documents the feasibility of syndromic surveillance of internet search terms to monitor new infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019. This information could enable better preparation and planning of health care systems.

The Role of the Environment and Colonization in Healthcare-Associated Infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) can be caused by endogenous host microbial flora or by exogenous microbes, including those found in the hospital environment. Efforts to decrease endogenous pathogens via decolonization and skin antisepsis may decrease the risk of infection in some settings. Controlling the spread of potential pathogens from the environment requires meticulous attention to cleaning and disinfection practices. In addition to selection of the appropriate cleaning agent, use of tools that assess the adequacy of cleaning and addition of no-touch cleaning technology may decrease environmental contamination. Hand hygiene is also a critical component of preventing transmission of pathogens from the environment to patients via healthcare worker hands.

Reflections on HIS 2014: In praise of enthusiasts

Medical conferences have had a bad press recently. They have been accused of leaving nothing but indifferent research and an enormous carbon footprint. They are also likely to contribute to 'intervention bias' in healthcare, in that the speakers tend to be selected from among the more enthusiastic interventionists and charismatic optimists. But this weakness is arguably also an important strength, for they can be the vehicle by which participants are inspired to innovate and evaluate. It is difficult to predict the outcome of interventions aimed at prevention and control of infection because they involve interactions between people and complex systems, not to mention the invisible agents of infection. Progress therefore depends largely on the empirical approach - trial and error. In this context we need both enthusiasts to inspire trial and sceptics to expose error. Conferences deserve support for encouraging debate between enthusiasts and sceptics, for providing a forum for cross-fertilization between sub-specialties, and for inspiring trainees as well as practitioners. The papers presented in this issue of JHI illustrate the wide range of contemporary challenges in healthcare-associated infection, and summarize the 'state of the art' of infection prevention and control.