An easy-to-read summary of Hilda Bastian’s post on PubMed and the US Government Shutdown
Every now and then, something happens in the world of health information that makes all of us — librarians, researchers, teachers — sit up straight. Recently, a message on PubMed’s home page did just that.
It mentioned the possibility of disruption due to a US government shutdown. And for anyone who depends on PubMed daily, that’s a scary thought!
Hilda Bastian, who often writes excellent, evidence-informed posts about science communication, explored this in her blog — “Tracking Shutdown Impact and Changes at PubMed”. I read it and thought I’d share a simple summary for our QMed readers.
The background
In the US, a “government shutdown” happens when Congress does not pass funding bills in time. When that happens, federal agencies — including the National Library of Medicine (NLM), which runs PubMed — are forced to reduce or suspend some operations.
So the big question for all of us is: What happens to PubMed during such times?
The reassuring part
Bastian notes that so far, PubMed has been functioning normally. That’s largely because a lot of its operations are automated — new records come in from publishers and data systems without much manual intervention.
So for now, there’s no visible slowdown in updates. Searches work, records are appearing, and daily use continues as usual.
The “what if” part
But what if the shutdown lasts longer?
That’s where things can start to get tricky.
- With fewer staff available, human oversight over indexing and quality checks could be delayed.
- Journal selection for MEDLINE indexing — a process that already takes time — might slow down or undergo changes.
- The NLM has also been reviewing its systems for journal selection, and Bastian highlights that decisions could become more centralised, with less committee input.
That, in turn, raises questions about transparency and fairness — something we all value in databases like PubMed.
What can we do as information professionals?
- Stay calm and keep working!
PubMed is still up and running, and for now, things look stable. - Back up important records you rely on. For instance, Europe PMC mirrors PubMed’s data — it’s a great backup source if you ever face delays or downtime.
- Be alert about journal indexing.
If you teach or guide researchers, remind them to check whether a journal is truly indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed, especially when evaluating where to publish.
Use this as a learning moment.
Discuss with your students or colleagues how information systems like PubMed are managed. It’s good to understand not just how to search — but also how these platforms function behind the scenes.
Why this matters to us at QMed
At QMed, we often say that quality healthcare begins with quality evidence.
But that evidence depends on systems — like PubMed — that help us find it.
When such systems face uncertainty, it reminds us why our training in literature searching and referencing must go beyond the “how-to.” We also need to understand what happens when these systems change, or even pause temporarily.
Awareness of alternate platforms, backup databases, and indexing processes — these are as much a part of research literacy as search syntax or filters.
The takeaway
Right now, PubMed continues to function smoothly. But the bigger picture — as Hilda Bastian points out — is about how automation, governance, and funding interact to keep vital systems alive.
So let’s keep using PubMed, teaching it, and at the same time, talk about how it all works and what can go wrong. After all, being an informed searcher also means being an aware one.
Acknowledgement:
Based on insights from Hilda Bastian’s article “Tracking Shutdown Impact and Changes at PubMed” (October 2025).
