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Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) are at greater risk of COVID‐19 infection and hospitalization, increasing the stress and uncertainty already associated with unpredictable conditions. These may be heightened for patients with ARDs from underrepresented minority backgrounds. This study aimed to explore patient experiences and ARD‐related challenges during the first year of the pandemic.

Between December 2020 and May 2021, 60‐minute semistructured interviews were conducted with English‐ and Spanish‐speaking adults, aged 18 years or older with self‐reported diagnosis of ARD, via phone or videoconferencing using an interview guide on living with an ARD during the pandemic. Analysis combined methods of phenomenology and content analysis through three steps: 1) summarizing interviews, 2) iteratively refining units of meaning, and 3) axial and selective …