The purpose of this project is to implement and establish the feasibility of a decentralized real-world evidence study network for patients with multiple myeloma and to monitor outcomes related to COVID-19 infection in this immunosuppressed population. Subjects with multiple myeloma will be invited to participate. The electronic portal will handle all consenting activities. Participants will be asked to complete specific study procedures electronically, including permission for electronic health record (EHR) data transfer. Participants will be asked to complete electronic questionnaires periodically.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an outsized impact on individuals with underlying social and medical vulnerability, leading to increased rates of severe disease, hospitalization, and death in these groups. Participants with underlying immune compromise, such as those with multiple myeloma, represent one such group. The advent of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has significantly limited morbidity and mortality across all groups, but the effectiveness of vaccination in individuals who are less likely to mount sufficient antibody response is uncertain. For this reason, booster vaccines have been recommended for those with underlying immune compromise. However, several key gaps remain in our understanding of how to best protect these individuals.~There is a dearth of real-world evidence about the effectiveness of vaccination and boosters in patients who are immunocompromised, and very little information specifically about the recently approved mRNA boosters. Additionally, rates of vaccination and booster uptake in the United States remain low. A rapid, decentralized method of ascertaining information related to booster vaccine response and adverse events related to vaccines and COVID-19 infection is critical not only to answer questions about the booster vaccines, but to develop an infrastructure for answering similar questions about future vaccines or other diseases.