(PS8-D88) Observations from Conducting Remote Research in a Healthcare Setting

Background 

Telehealth has become an important channel for engaging participants in research while staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many research teams, the task of managing recruitment, retention, and data collection while transitioning to virtual research visits has been a significant challenge. The aim is to share the lessons learned while conducting both in-person and remote research as part of a large, multi-site, longitudinal study of youth affected by traumatic events and depression during the pandemic. 

Methods 

This poster presentation will provide an overview of barriers encountered and related solutions developed during research involving a statewide participant registry of youth (ages 8- 20 years) affected by trauma and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n=258) were part of larger statewide networks, Texas Childhood Trauma Research Network (TX-CTRN) and the Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN). Participants were administered a comprehensive battery of structured diagnostic interviews and self-report measures by trained assessors. Assessors provided key observations and implications made after conducting both in-person and remote research visits during the pandemic period.  

Observations 

Researchers observed several themes in the areas of technology, convenience, and participant engagement in both virtual and in-person interviews. In terms of technology, virtual visits are harder to complete, given that participants have varying internet capabilities. Technology seems to be a barrier to the quality of virtual visits due to prolonged visits and difficulty signing forms, filling out questionnaires, or connecting to the web-based meeting platform. Since the interviews were semi-structured and partially relied on clinical judgment, it was also more difficult to monitor nonverbal responses during virtual visits, due to limited visibility of body language and facial expressions. However, virtual visits presented more convenience to the participants and their families due to them being in the comfort of their own space. Often, this comfort brought greater endorsement to interview questions. On the other hand, some participants who had in-person visits were likely already accustomed to the clinic environment, and thus more comfortable sharing. It was also easier for visits to be completed after school in virtual visits, rather than working around school schedules for in-person visits.  

Implications 

These experiences highlight barriers in both types of visits and emphasize the benefits and efficacy of virtual approaches to research. Although virtual visits pose challenges for populations with limited access to the internet or internet accessible devices, they make it easier for both participants and researchers to schedule meetings and provide high quality data. Due to our observations and experiences, we advocate for providing virtual modalities as an option for research participants, where feasible, especially during unplanned events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.