Shifting behavioral intervention research to virtual methods: Challenges and solutions in practice, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publication date: Jan 01, 2025

Behavioral medicine researchers have rapidly adapted study procedures and interventions to telehealth modalities during the pandemic. We rely heavily on telehealth research methods to avoid study delays and mitigate risk to chronically ill patients our studies aim to support. We implemented methods to virtually recruit, enroll, and retain patients and their families on clinical trials, and virtually deliver study interventions. These adaptations are likely to become permanent amid ongoing virus variants and surges in cases. However, little has been written about how remote methods apply in practice. This paper documents these processes to maximize efficiency across our research studies and systems and highlights the strengths and challenges of transitioning our research protocols to telehealth. We outline solutions to using remote methods across the entire span of the research process, including study recruitment, data collection, and intervention delivery. We offer insight into the implications of these transitions on research staff and interventionists. In providing a transparent review of the advantages and challenges of implementing remote methods, we encourage discourse around remote methods implementation, share the lessons we learned, and inform the design of future trials. Further research is needed to review the clinical feasibility and acceptability of these procedures.

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Concepts Keywords
Covid behavioral medicine
Efficiency clinical research
Future COVID-19
Interventionists COVID-19
Pandemic Humans
methodology
Pandemics
Patient Selection
Research Design
SARS-CoV-2
Telehealth
Telemedicine

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease IDO intervention
disease MESH COVID-19 pandemic
disease MESH chronically ill
disease IDO process
drug DRUGBANK Etoperidone

Original Article

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