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The Infectious Diseases Physician in the Future of Healthcare: Not Only About Antibiotic Prescribing

“ID is dead!” “The hospitalists and intensivists are not calling consults because of cost containment.” “ID consults are elective.” These statements have all been told to me over the past several years by colleagues lamenting the diminished role and challenges facing infectious diseases physicians (IDPs) in our changing healthcare delivery system. Friends, mentors, partners, and leaders in the infectious diseases (ID) community, reflecting on these concerns, worry about our collective future, our viability, and our prestige. Others cite the woeful state of our fellowship match rate as further evidence of decline and wonder aloud, “Is this the death of the specialty?” As a result, the specialty…

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 Addressing the Decline in the Number of Infectious Disease Physicians

The infectious disease (ID) specialty has experienced quite a bit these last few years. And much of it has been very demanding, exhausting, and too much—for some. It has been nearly 3 years since the shutdown in early 2020. The stress in those early months associated with the pandemic, including treating patients without clinican guidance or therapies, combined with personal concerns of contracting the virus or giving it to loved ones, stuck for quite a while. This may have led to burnout, early retirement, and possibly a lack of interest in the field for aspiring medical providers.

Articles of Interest

Future infectious diseases: Recent history shows we can never again be complacent about pathogens

For most of human history, infectious diseases have been the leading cause of death, preying mainly on the very young, the old and the most vulnerable among us. Scientific advancements in the 20th century reversed this historical trend — at least for a time. Our ability to control infection through public health measures such as clean water and by developing vaccines, antibiotics, antiviral and antiparasitic agents has changed the way we live — and the way we die.

Future needs—clinical services for infectious diseases

For the infectious disease clinician, the challenge still remains at the bedside. The diagnostic challenge is whether there is an infection or whether signs and symptoms can be otherwise explained. The differential diagnosis may range from neoplasia to artefact. Should an infection be considered most likely, the etiology may range from helminth to prion. This area of expertise for the infectious disease physician is an important and unique skill that is not part of the training or expertise of most microbiologists.

Infectious Disease Could Become More Common in a Warmer World — Especially for Plants and Animals

Climate change will make it easier for many infectious diseases to spread. Human beings will be able to adapt — or at least the richer ones will. But biodiversity will suffer as parasites and bacteria find a more welcoming environment.

Infectious Diseases Physicians: Improving and Protecting the Public’s Health: Why Equitable Compensation Is Critical

Infectious diseases (ID) physicians play a crucial role in public health in a variety of settings. Unfortunately, much of this work is undercompensated despite the proven efficacy of public health interventions such as hospital acquired infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, disease surveillance, and outbreak response. The lack of compensation makes it difficult to attract the best and the brightest to the field of ID, threatening the future of the ID workforce.

Newest doctors shun infectious diseases specialty

"I'm bummed out," says Dr. Carlos Del Rio, a professor at the Emory School of Medicine and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. "I love my field, I love what I do. And it's upsetting to know that my field may not be as attractive to trainees as I would like it to be."

Preserving the Future of Infectious Diseases: Why We Must Address the Decline in Compensation for Clinicians and Researchers

Infectious diseases (ID) physicians play a pivotal role in patient care and public health, yet concerns are mounting about their under-compensation compared with other medical specialties. This trend sees ID physicians, including new graduates, receiving lower remuneration than their general and hospital medicine peers, despite their significant contributions.

Rethinking the Hospital for the Next Pandemic

The coronavirus caught hospitals flat-footed. Now, worried about a resurgence and future infectious diseases, they want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Shaping the Future of Infectious Diseases: The Journey to Promote Value, Opportunity, and Positive Messaging

The field of infectious diseases (ID) offers a rewarding career path and is widely viewed as an essential subspecialty in medicine. However, in recent years, these positive aspects have been overshadowed by concerns surrounding low fellowship match rates, undercompensation, and burnout

So You Want to Be an Infectious Disease Doctor

In terms of competitiveness, internal medicine and pediatrics are among the bottom 10 least competitive medical specialties. According to our analysis, internal medicine is the 9th least competitive specialty and pediatrics is the second least competitive specialty only behind family medicine. But don’t let these rankings fool you. If your goal is to match into a top-tier internal medicine or pediatrics residency, you will still need to do well on your Step exams and obtain ample research experience.

The Future of Infectious Diseases Education

The infectious diseases (ID) specialty continues to be in crisis due to a lack of interest by residents in the recruitment pool. It is possible that enhancing and innovating how microbiology is taught in medical school could increase the interest in ID. We need to improve teaching of preclinical medical microbiology and immunology by incorporating advancements in education and learning technologies to reignite the interest in the field.

The infectious disease doctor shortage threatens future pandemic preparedness

In 2009, I was practicing in the emergency department when the H1N1 pandemic emerged. Then, I saw firsthand the vital role infectious disease physicians played in not only facilitating a coordinated public health response, but also helping patients, providers, and the public navigate the uncertainty that comes with confronting a novel virus. While on the frontlines of that pandemic, I depended on our community’s infectious disease specialists as I worked in real-time to provide patients with the answers and care they needed.

The World Is Not Ready for the Next Pandemic

The consequences of a major pandemic would be world-changing. The 1918 flu pandemic killed 50 million to 100 million people–at the top end, more than the combined total casualties of World Wars I and II–and for a slew of reasons, humans are arguably more vulnerable today than they were 100 years ago. First of all, there are simply more of us.

‘Spillover’ diseases are emerging faster than ever before—thanks to humans

History is pockmarked with the scars of past zoonotic outbreaks. What have we learned, why are they increasing, and what can we do to avoid them?

Resources

IDSA

Our mission is to improve the health of individuals, communities, and society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health, and prevention relating to infectious diseases.

ISID

At the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), our mission is to support health professionals, non-government organizations, and governments around the world in their work to prevent, investigate, and manage infectious disease outbreaks when they occur.

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

Educate and engage the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan