To date, we have not yet identified an example where open access to a research paper has helped save a life. If you can identify such an example, please let us know. We would also be interested to learn any examples where open access to research has facilitated clinical decision-making.
Yesterday I asked ChatGPT: How many other specific examples can you give where access to the full text of a research paper saved a life?
It gave five examples which you can review here: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/open-access-49-has-open-access-research... I invite your comments.
In the above message I commented on the first example and concluded:
'We need clarification on this. It seems odd to talk of a 'small, rural hospital' with 'advanced MRI techniques'. ChatGPT said the patient 'presented with symptoms of a stroke' but hthen said 'Without access to the specific imaging techniqu, the hospital would have missed the early signs of stroke'. The suggestion that the full text of the paper prompted 'early treatment with clot-busting drugs' is also odd. It is normal practice, based on established clinical guidelines (and not a specific paper), to treat suspected thromboembolic stroke with 'clot-busting drugs'.'
Here is the second example with a comment from me below.
2. Example: Open Access to Research on "Antibiotic Resistance and Treatment Protocols"
Context: A 2016 study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases investigated the growing issue of antibiotic resistance and outlined a new protocol for treating drug-resistant infections. The paper presented detailed, evidence-based guidelines on how to effectively treat infections caused by resistant bacteria like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
The Role of Open Access: The paper was made open access, and a healthcare provider in a developing country gained access to the full text. The local hospital had seen an increase in patients with drug-resistant infections, and the clinicians were struggling to treat these infections with the limited antibiotics available to them.
Real-Life Impact: A middle-aged man arrived at the hospital with severe cellulitis and signs of sepsis caused by MRSA. The healthcare team, guided by the open access paper, implemented the new antibiotic treatment protocol for resistant infections. The patient’s condition improved significantly after receiving the appropriate combination of antibiotics, and he survived a potentially fatal infection.
Why Open Access Was Crucial: In the absence of this open access research, the clinicians might not have known about the new protocol for handling resistant infections. Access to the paper allowed them to administer the correct treatment quickly, which saved the patient's life by preventing septic shock.
COMMENT (NPW): 'Again, we need clarification. What is the 2016 paper that ChatGPT refers to? It is highly unusual for a research paper to outline a new protocol for treating drug-resistant infections. Normally such protocols are developed by international teams, typically convened by the World Health Organization, which make their deliberations based on systematic review. These recommendations would be issued as international guidelines, and it is the responsibility of country-based teams, typically convened by the ministry of health, to adapt these guidelines for national use, taking into account local research and national profiles on antibiotic resistance, antibiotic availability, and other contextual factors.
I look forward to your comments on the above, and the other three examples that ChatGPT gives.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org