MedNet Community Supports Physician Queries & Knowledge Sharing

Dr. Lockwood

Megan Lockwood, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C., and MedNet associate editor, completed her fellowship in rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “Having a forum with a virtual community of colleagues to elicit expert opinions has been incredibly helpful, especially for some of the nuanced clinical situations we find ourselves in rheumatology without clear evidence to guide us,” Dr. Lockwood says.

She also notes the benefits of using the platform as a rheumatology trainee and now a junior faculty member. “It is interesting to learn about how varied practice patterns are at different institutions,” she says. “This resource has been helpful for me to determine and shape what my practice style is going to be and dive deep into the rationale behind clinical decisions.”

Dr. Fantus notes she recruits experts who have worked on national guidelines, been published in major journals and speak at national rheumatology meetings. Recruited experts who agree to participate are added to the expert list and answer up to two questions per month on specific topics.

“If a question is about myositis-associated ILD [interstitial lung disease], we find an expert most appropriate to answer it,” Dr. Fantus says. The editorial team reviews posted answers to ensure the content is appropriate, accurate and the primary literature is cited correctly.

As associate editor, Dr. Lockwood says, “Clinical scenarios or questions where answers cannot be found in textbooks or guidelines are perfect opportunities for questions to be posted on MedNet.”

A plethora of experts in rheumatology have joined the MedNet platform. When asked why such a positive response has been seen, Dr. Fantus explains a large need exists for what the platform provides. “People are excited about being able to ask their questions [of] a broad rheumatology audience. Experts are excited to give their time and share their expertise, and to get their opinions out to other rheumatologists.” Ultimately, this bidirectional relationship allows for exchange of ideas, thoughts and information among the rheumatology community.

Future Directions

As the MedNet platform grows, Dr. Fantus has several ideas regarding future initiatives for the platform: “We are working with both Arthritis & Rheumatology and the The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) to make articles available for free and connect us with primary authors to answer questions from the community,” she says.

A MedNet rheumatology journal club featured the February 2021 NEJM article on the ADVOCATE trial on avacopan for the treatment of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis, with author Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH, chief of rheumatology and professor of medicine and epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Another initiative being planned is a multispecialty, interinstitutional case conference, in which several academic institutions and their respective faculty will discuss interesting, challenging cases with specific diagnostic or management questions.

Dr. Lockwood says she is thrilled about MedNet, which has created a novel, virtual experience of being able to curbside an expert from a large community of colleagues and elicit expert opinions on emerging treatments. “Rheumatology is an art as much as a science, particularly in our field with a paucity of high-level data and the rarity of our diseases,” says Dr. Lockwood; “we have so much to learn from our colleagues at different institutions from around the country. MedNet is an opportunity for people to share experiential knowledge, engage in open discussions about clinical management on tough cases, and query experts on opinions about emerging treatments in rheumatology.”

Dr. Maheswaranathan