Tracking clinical resources for coronavirus disease 2019

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Literature Analysis

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic generated a massive volume of scientific literature, with a significant portion related to rheumatic diseases.
• Challenges in information assimilation include 'pandemic research exceptionalism' and widespread misinformation, complicating the identification of credible research.
• Rheumatologists face unique hurdles, including a focus on antirheumatic therapies and a scarcity of disease-specific data, while patients encounter medication shortages and tailored information gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify threats to the validity of COVID-19 literature.
• To recommend resources for rheumatologists and patients seeking reliable information.
• To address the specific challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in rheumatology.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and analysis of COVID-19 publications.
• Identification of obstacles to high-quality information acquisition.
• Evaluation of resources based on relevance, accessibility, credibility, timeliness, and trustworthiness.

Main Results:

• Over 17,000 COVID-19 publications exist, with over 1,500 concerning rheumatic diseases.
• Key challenges include 'pandemic research exceptionalism' and a 'parallel pandemic' of misinformation.
• Rheumatologists and patients with rheumatic diseases face specific information deficits and resource challenges.

Conclusions:

• Rheumatologists should establish systems for acquiring high-quality information.
• Guiding principles (relevance, accessibility, credibility, timeliness, trustworthiness) are essential for resource selection.
• Tailored, trustworthy resources are recommended for both clinicians and patients to navigate the complex COVID-19 literature.