Please Comment: Draft of protocol for reducing COVID-19 transmission risk in EEG research
/We are no longer taking comments on this draft. Thanks to everyone who provided comments.
The published protocol is now available on Protocol Exchange. Here’s the citation: Simmons, A. M., & Luck, S. J. (2020). Protocol for Reducing COVID-19 Transmission Risk in EEG Research. Protocol Exchange. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.pex-974/v1
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a pause in data collection for EEG research throughout much of the world. As conditions improve in some regions, many researchers would like to resume data collection. However, because the application of EEG electrodes typically involves close and prolonged exposure between the experimenter and the research participant, there will be some risk of viral infection in EEG experiments until there is an effective and widely used vaccine. It is therefore important to develop effective mitigation methods than can reduce the risks so that they are comparable to the risks that individuals will face in their daily lives (e.g., when visiting the grocery store or getting a haircut).
Toward that end, we have created a draft of a protocol for reducing COVID-19 transmission risk in EEG research. We have already received feedback from both basic scientists and neurologists who have experience with clinical EEG recordings. To further improve and refine this protocol, we are seeking feedback from the worldwide EEG community. Once we have received that feedback, we will create an updated document and make it available freely on Protocol Exchange. Researchers may then adapt this protocol to reflect their local conditions and regulatory environment.
Important: We are not implying that researchers in all locations should resume EEG recordings at this time. Resumption of research will depend on your local conditions and the rules imposed by your institution and your local, regional, and national governing bodies. However, once it is ethical and allowable for you to resume research, we hope that this protocol will help you conduct your research in a way that is safe for both laboratory personnel and research participants.
You can view and download the current version of the protocol here.
You can provide comments by clicking on Comments at the bottom of the page. Please read the entire protocol before posting comments. If you have specialized knowledge or training that is relevant for this protocol (e.g., medical training in infectious disease), please indicate this in your comments. Comments will be most useful is posted by June 5, 2020.