A temporary outage of the US-government-funded PubMed database of biomedical literature has left researchers globally in a panic. The disruption, which lasted for two days, highlights the reliance of scientists on the website and raises concerns about its future. PubMed is a freely accessible, comprehensive, and government-supported database that aggregates a vast amount of biomedical literature, making it a critical resource for health-care providers, researchers, and students.
Forecast for 6 months: Within the next six months, PubMed is expected to implement additional backup systems to prevent similar disruptions in the future. This may include the development of alternative repositories or offline access to critical research, as suggested by infectious-diseases physician Krutika Kuppalli.
Forecast for 1 year: In the next year, PubMed is likely to see increased investment in its infrastructure to ensure the reliability and accessibility of the database. This may involve partnerships with other organizations or the development of new technologies to support the database.
Forecast for 5 years: Within the next five years, PubMed is expected to become an even more critical component of the global scientific community. As the database continues to grow and evolve, it may become a model for other open-access databases and a key resource for researchers and health-care providers around the world.
Forecast for 10 years: In the next decade, PubMed is likely to be a key player in the development of new medical treatments and technologies. As the database continues to provide access to a vast amount of biomedical literature, it may help to accelerate the discovery of new treatments and improve global health outcomes.
