Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39250219›Full record

ArticleJMIR formative research2024

Bridging Language Barriers in COVID-19 Research: Descriptive Study of AccesoCovid.com's Reach and User Engagement.

Lucía Abascal Miguel, Maeve Forster, Sarah Gallalee, Mariam Carson, Jane K Fieldhouse, Alexandra Keir, Sigal Maya, Sabahat Rahman, Michael J A Reid, Hariclea Vasilopoulos and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR formative research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lucía Abascal Miguel *Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-7142-8704
Maeve Forster *Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1104-2359
Sarah GallaleeInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0493-5693
Mariam CarsonInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0630-2881
Jane K FieldhouseInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5450-0970
Alexandra KeirInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-0147-2619
Sigal MayaPhilip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3282-8297
Sabahat RahmanInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9769-793X
Michael J A ReidInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6777-9619
Hariclea VasilopoulosInstitute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3532-1800
Dania Nimbe Lima SanchezDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.ORCID 0000-0002-3647-6540

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic underscored the challenge of swiftly disseminating research findings to a global audience. Language barriers further exacerbated disparities in access to timely scientific information, particularly for non-English speaking communities. The majority of COVID-19 research was published in English, limiting accessibility for Spanish-speaking populations.

objectiveThis paper aims to assess the reach and effectiveness of AccesoCovid.com, a platform designed to disseminate up-to-date COVID-19 research in both English and Spanish, addressing the language gap in scientific communication.

methodsAccesoCovid.com was developed through a partnership between the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The website's performance and user engagement were evaluated using Google Analytics over a span of 2 years. Key metrics included user language preference, geographical distribution, and site traffic. The website summarized and translated 1032 articles on various COVID-19 topics, such as "Pharmaceutical Interventions and Vaccines."

resultsFrom February 2021 to February 2023, the platform attracted 57,000 users. Of the 43,000 unique new visitors, 84.2% (n=36,219) hailed from Spanish-speaking regions. The majority accessed the site organically through search engines, with 88.4% (n=38,000) of users arriving this way, while 5000 (11.6%) users accessed the site directly. Most users (n=30,894, 72.1%) preferred the Spanish version of the site. The website's most accessed category was "Pharmaceutical Interventions and Vaccines," followed by "Clinical Presentation and Management" and "Mental Health." Regarding language distribution, 72.1% (n=30,894) of users primarily used Spanish; 21.4% (n=9215) used English; and 6.7% (n=2891) spoke other languages, including Portuguese, Chinese, and German. Geographically, the website attracted visitors from 179 countries, with the highest visitor counts from Mexico (n=12,342, 28.7%), Spain (n=6405, 14.9%), the United States (n=4416, 10.3%), and Peru (n=3821, 8.9%).

conclusionsAccesoCovid.com successfully bridged a critical language gap in the dissemination of COVID-19 research. Its success underscores the pressing need for multilingual scientific resources. The platform demonstrated significant user engagement and reach, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries. This highlights the potential for similar platforms to ensure equitable access to scientific knowledge across diverse linguistic communities. Future efforts should focus on expanding to other languages and conducting formal evaluations to enhance user satisfaction and impact.

Indexed as

Communication BarriersCOVID-19Information DisseminationBiomedical ResearchHumansLanguageCOVID-19 research disseminationequitable access to researchglobal health equitylanguage barriers in sciencemultilingual scientific platformSpanish scientific communication

Identifiers

PMID39250219
PMCPMC11420591

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.