A Policy to Do Better Next Time: Lessons Learned From the COVID‐19 Pandemic

This editorial, written in April 2020, reflects on early lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes policy considerations for future pandemics. The authors, Yelin, Katz, and Banks, highlight several key points:

1. The importance of early action in implementing shelter-in-place orders to slow disease spread.
2. The need to balance public health concerns with economic impacts when deciding to lift restrictions.
3. The shortcomings of "just-in-time" inventory practices in healthcare, advocating instead for planned redundancy in supplies and infrastructure.
4. The role of the rheumatology community in responding to COVID-19, including expertise in cytokine storms and creating a global database to track effects on patients with autoimmune diseases.
5. Concerns about unintended consequences of pandemic policies on patients with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

The authors emphasize the importance of learning from the current pandemic to improve preparedness and response for future health crises. They call for evidence-based policymaking and acknowledge the challenges in ensuring that those in power will implement appropriate measures in future pandemics.