Planning and Reporting Effective Web-Based RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method Panels: Literature Review and Preliminary Recommendations.

BACKGROUND: The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM), a variant of the Delphi Method, was developed to synthesize existing evidence and elicit the clinical judgement of medical experts on the appropriate treatment of specific clinical presentations. Technological advances now allow researchers to conduct expert panels on the internet, offering a cost-effective and convenient alternative to the traditional RAM. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs recently used a web-based RAM to validate clinical recommendations for de-intensifying routine primary care services. A substantial literature describes and tests various aspects of the traditional RAM in health research; yet we know comparatively less about how researchers implement web-based expert panels. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are twofold: (1) to understand how the web-based RAM process is currently used and reported in health research and (2) to provide preliminary reporting guidance for researchers to improve the transparency and reproducibility of reporting practices. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched to identify studies published between 2009 and 2019 that used a web-based RAM to measure the appropriateness of medical care. Methodological data from each article were abstracted. The following categories were assessed: composition and characteristics of the web-based expert panels, characteristics of panel procedures, results, and panel satisfaction and engagement. RESULTS: Of the 12 studies meeting the eligibility criteria and reviewed, only 42% (5/12) implemented the full RAM process with the remaining studies opting for a partial approach. Among those studies reporting, the median number of participants at first rating was 42. While 92% (11/12) of studies involved clinicians, 50% (6/12) involved multiple stakeholder types. Our review revealed that the studies failed to report on critical aspects of the RAM process. For example, no studies reported response rates with the denominator of previous rounds, 42% (5/12) did not provide panelists with feedback between rating periods, 50% (6/12) either did not have or did not report on the panel discussion period, and 25% (3/12) did not report on quality measures to assess aspects of the panel process (eg, satisfaction with the process). CONCLUSIONS: Conducting web-based RAM panels will continue to be an appealing option for researchers seeking a safe, efficient, and democratic process of expert agreement. Our literature review uncovered inconsistent reporting frameworks and insufficient detail to evaluate study outcomes. We provide preliminary recommendations for reporting that are both timely and important for producing replicable, high-quality findings. The need for reporting standards is especially critical given that more people may prefer to participate in web-based rather than in-person panels due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Spatio-temporal characteristics of the novel coronavirus attention network and its influencing factors in China.

The outbreak of a novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), wherein more than 200 million people have been infected and millions have died, poses a great threat to achieving the United Nations 2030 sustainable development goal (SDGs). Based on the Baidu index of 'novel coronavirus', this paper analyses the spatial and temporal characteristics of and factors that influenced the attention network for COVID-19 from January 9, 2020, to April 15, 2020. The study found that (1) Temporally, the attention in the new coronavirus network showed an upward trend from January 9 to January 29, with the largest increase from January 23 to January 29 and a peak on January 29, and then a slow downward trend. The level of attention in the new coronavirus network was basically flat when comparing January 22 and March 4. (2) Spatially, first, from the perspective of regional differences, the network attention in the eastern and central regions decreased in turn. The network users in the eastern region exhibited the highest attention to the new coronavirus, especially in Guangdong, Shandong, Jiangsu and other provinces and cities. The network attention in Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Ningxia in the western region was the lowest in terms of the national network attention. Second, from the perspective of interprovincial differences, the attention in the new coronavirus network was highly consistent with the Hu Huanyong line of China's population boundary. The east of the Hu Huanyong line is densely populated, and the network showed high concern, mostly ranking at the third to fifth levels. (3) The number of Internet users in the information technology field, the population, and the culture and age characteristics of individuals are important factors that influence the novel coronavirus attention network.

Power of the collective: A review of multimodal internet-based surgical education resources in the 21st century.

Electronic resources have changed surgical education in the 21st century. Resources spanning from digital textbooks to multiple choice question banks, online society meetings, and social media can facilitate surgical education. The COVID pandemic drastically changed the paradigm for education. The ramifications of Zoom lectures and online surgical society meetings will last into the future. Educators and learners can be empowered by the many available electronic resources to enhance surgical training and education.

Web resources facilitate drug discovery in treatment of COVID-19.

The infectious disease Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause a global pandemic and, thus, the need for effective therapeutics remains urgent. Global research targeting COVID-19 treatments has produced numerous therapy-related data and established data repositories. However, these data are disseminated throughout the literature and web resources, which could lead to a reduction in the levels of their use. In this review, we introduce resource repositories for the development of COVID-19 therapeutics, from the genome and proteome to antiviral drugs, vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. We briefly describe the data and usage, and how they advance research for therapies. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges to preventing the pandemic from developing further.

Learning During and From a Crisis: The Student-Led Development of a COVID-19 Curriculum.

PROBLEM: The speed and scope of the upheaval that COVID-19 inflicted on medical education made innovation a necessity. While medical students wanted high-quality, consolidated educational resources on COVID-19, the medical school faculty who typically produced such resources were increasingly burdened with clinical, administrative, and personal commitments. However, students eager to contribute to the pandemic response were well suited to create these instructional materials for their peers. APPROACH: In mid-March 2020, a group of students at Harvard Medical School came together to synthesize the key facts and collate the best existing educational materials about the COVID-19 pandemic into a unified learning resource. The materials were faculty reviewed and shared freely online. The curriculum now contains 8 modules that are updated regularly. Throughout this process, the student authors prioritized accessibility, iterative improvement, and effective pedagogy. OUTCOMES: To date, nearly 80,000 users from 132 countries have accessed the curriculum. It has been referenced or incorporated into courses at Harvard Medical School and more than 30 other medical schools across the country. About 40% of all users are from outside the United States, and the materials have been translated into 28 languages. This effort has spurred a number of other educational initiatives led by medical student groups in the United States and abroad. NEXT STEPS: As understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic is constantly changing, the student authors' immediate goal is to keep the curriculum up to date in the months to come. They plan to maintain existing partnerships with medical schools and student groups around the world while pursuing new opportunities to expand the curriculum's reach, provide education, and build community. Students and educators alike should leverage student-driven education efforts to benefit other learners both within and, importantly, beyond their institutions.

Trends in interest of COVID-19 on Polish Internet.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to investigate the social interest in SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 in the Internet media during the epidemic in Poland and serves as a complement to longitudinal surveys monitoring public perception in real time. METHODS: We quantitatively analyzed "coronavirus" digital footprints on the Internet, in particular, on Google, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia and electronic media represented by EventRegistry, from 15.01 to 07.04.2020 (before and after official introduction of COVID-19 to Poland on 04.03.2020). We present results on trend analysis supported by statistical techniques. RESULTS: We identified six major temporal clusters of the interest on the topic COVID-19: 1) Chinese, 2) Italian, 3) Waiting, 4) Mitigations, 5) Physical distancing and Lockdown, 6) Anti-crisis shield. There was an exponential increase of the interest when the Polish government "declared a war against disease" around 11/12.03.2020 with a massive response activity. Later on, there was a decay in the interest with additional phases related to physical distancing and an anti-crisis legislation act associated with pronounced local peaks. We have found that declarations of response strategies by the Polish prime minister or the minister of health gathered the highest attention of Internet users. So already enacted or in force events do not affect the interest to such an extent. We have observed very weak or even negative correlations between a colloquial search term "antiviral mask" in Google, encyclopaedic definition in Wikipedia "SARS-CoV-2" as well as official COVID-19 incidence series, implying different mechanisms governing the search for knowledge, panic related behaviour and actual burden of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional and social media do not only reflect reality, but also create it. Interest in COVID-19 (measured by topic intensity on the Internet) is unrelated to the officially notified viral pressure (measured by incidence) and probably physical risk of acquiring infection in Poland. As traditional media are ahead of social media in time, we advise to choose traditional news media for a quick dissemination of information, however for a greater impact, social media should be used. Otherwise public information campaigns might have less impact on society than expected.

COVID-19 and 'immune boosting' on the internet: a content analysis of Google search results.

OBJECTIVE: The spread of misinformation has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, including topics such as immune boosting to prevent COVID-19. This study explores how immune boosting is portrayed on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Content analysis. METHODS: We compiled a dataset of 227 webpages from Google searches in Canada and the USA using the phrase 'boost immunity' AND 'coronavirus' on 1 April 2020. We coded webpages for typology and portrayal of immune boosting and supplements. We recorded mentions of microbiome, whether the webpage was selling or advertising an immune boosting product or service, and suggested strategies for boosting immunity. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between webpages that appeared in the searches in Canada and the USA. The most common types of webpages were from news (40.5%) and commercial (24.7%) websites. The concept of immune boosting was portrayed as beneficial for avoiding COVID-19 in 85.5% of webpages and supplements were portrayed as beneficial in 40% of the webpages, but commercial sites were more likely to have these portrayals. The top immune boosting strategies were vitamin C (34.8%), diet (34.4%), sleep (34.4%), exercise (30.8%) and zinc (26.9%). Less than 10% of the webpages provide any critique of the concept of immune boosting. CONCLUSIONS: Pairing evidence-based advice for maintaining one's health (eg, healthy diet, exercise, sleep) with the phrase immune boosting and strategies lacking in evidence may inadvertently help to legitimise the concept, making it a powerful marketing tool. Results demonstrate how the spread of misinformation is complex and often more subtle than blatant fraudulent claims.

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.