Exploring the utility of Preevid, an evidence-based answer service to clinical questions, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Clinical question services offer evidence-based relevant clinical information allowing health professionals to obtain answers in a timely manner. OBJECTIVES: To explore the use and usefulness of Preevid, an evidence-based answering service for clinical questions, among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study analyses the COVID-19-related clinical questions received in the Preevid service between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2022. Particularly, it examines the topic, the type of professional who raised those questions, the epidemic period in which they were made, and the impact of the questions openly published on the Preevid online bank. RESULTS: Preevid service received 1111 clinical questions, of which 252 (22.7%) were about COVID-19 and half of these (132) were published on the online bank. The majority of COVID-19-related questions were about prevention (57.5%) and were mainly raised by physicians (57.9%) and nurses (34.1%). The Preevid question bank received 25,865,015 online views and it was mainly visited during the first months of the pandemic. COVID-19-related questions had 5,182,723 online views, of which 55% were originated in Spain. CONCLUSIONS: Preevid, the service that gives evidence-based answers to clinical questions, helps health professionals with clinical decision making and clinical practice, also in crisis situations such as a pandemic.