College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 56, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
AIDS Behav. 2020 Jul;24(7):1983-1989. doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-02837-x.
The novel coronavirus has upended many traditional research procedures as universities and other research entities have closed to activate social distancing. Some social and behavioral research activities (e.g. data analysis, manuscript preparation) can be continued from other environments with appropriate security protocols in place. For studies involving in-person interactions, continuity may be more difficult. Phone-based interactions provide a low-tech solution that may suffice in some cases. Yet, videoconferencing platforms can nearly replicate in-person interactions, activating both auditory and visual senses and potentially resulting in more substantial engagement. Staff can meet with participants individually or in groups, each seeing and hearing one another in real time. This paper provides guidance for researchers transitioning in-person assessments and interventions to a synchronous videoconferencing platform. Best practices, key considerations, examples from the field, and sample protocols are presented to ease transition for ongoing studies and maximize the potential of videoconferencing-and social distancing.
新型冠状病毒颠覆了许多传统的研究程序，因为大学和其他研究实体已经关闭以激活社会距离。在适当的安全协议到位的情况下，一些社会和行为研究活动（例如数据分析、手稿准备）可以在其他环境中继续进行。对于涉及人际互动的研究，连续性可能更困难。基于电话的交互提供了一种低技术解决方案，在某些情况下可能就足够了。然而，视频会议平台几乎可以复制面对面的互动，激活听觉和视觉感官，并可能导致更实质性的参与。工作人员可以与参与者单独或分组会面，彼此实时看到和听到对方。本文为研究人员将面对面评估和干预措施转移到同步视频会议平台提供了指导。本文介绍了最佳实践、关键注意事项、来自该领域的示例以及示例协议，以帮助正在进行的研究顺利过渡，并最大限度地发挥视频会议和社交距离的潜力。
