Department of Audiology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
S Afr J Commun Disord. 2022 Jul 18;69(2):e1-e14. doi: 10.4102/sajcd.v69i2.898.
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented new and unanticipated challenges to the academic training and performance of clinical research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels of training. This highlighted the need for reimagining research designs and methods to ensure continued generation of knowledge - a core function of a research-intensive university. Whilst adhering to government regulations geared towards protecting both the research participants and researchers, innovative research methods are required.
The purpose of this scoping review is to explore published evidence on innovative clinical research methods and processes employed during COVID-19 and to document challenges encountered and lessons that the fields of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology can learn.
Electronic bibliographic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, ProQuest were searched to identify peer-reviewed publications, published in English, between 2019 and 2021, related to innovative clinical research methods and processes applied where in-person contact is regulated.
Significant challenges with conducting research in the COVID-19 era were identified, with important lessons learned and numerous opportunities that have relevance for this pandemic era and beyond. These findings are presented under 10 themes that emerged that highlight important considerations for research methods and processes during a pandemic and beyond. The findings of this study also raise implications for telehealth from which low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resource challenges exist, can benefit.
Challenges and opportunities identified in this review have relevance for the field of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology as far as current and future (beyond COVID-19) clinical research planning is concerned.
2019 年新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）给本科和研究生水平的临床研究学术培训和表现带来了新的和意料之外的挑战。这凸显了重新想象研究设计和方法的必要性，以确保持续产生知识——这是研究型大学的核心功能。虽然要遵守旨在保护研究参与者和研究人员的政府法规，但需要创新的研究方法。
本次范围综述的目的是探讨 COVID-19 期间发表的关于创新临床研究方法和流程的证据，并记录遇到的挑战和言语病理学和听力学领域可以吸取的经验教训。
电子书目数据库，包括 Science Direct、PubMed、Scopus、MEDLINE 和 ProQuest，用于检索发表在英语期刊上的 2019 年至 2021 年期间与创新临床研究方法和流程相关的同行评审出版物，这些方法和流程适用于需要限制人际接触的情况。
确定了在 COVID-19 时代进行研究的重大挑战，吸取了重要经验教训，并为这一大流行时代及以后提供了许多机会。这些发现是根据 10 个主题呈现的，这些主题突出了大流行期间及以后研究方法和流程的重要考虑因素。本研究的结果还对远程医疗提出了一些影响，资源有限的低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）可以从中受益。
本次综述中确定的挑战和机遇与言语病理学和听力学领域有关，涉及当前和未来（超越 COVID-19）的临床研究规划。
