TY - JOUR
AU - Cysique, Lucette A.
AU - Łojek, Emilia
AU - Ching-Kong Cheung, Theodore
AU - Cullen, Breda
AU - Egbert, Anna Rita
AU - Evans, Jonathan P.
AU - Garolera, Maite
AU - Gawron, Natalia
AU - Gouse, Hetta
AU - Hansen, Karolina
AU - Holas, Paweł
AU - Hyniewska, Sylwia
AU - Malinowska, Ewa
AU - Marcopulos, Bernice A.
AU - Merkley, Tricia L.
AU - Muñoz-Moreno, Jose A.
AU - Ramsden, Clare
AU - Salas, Christian
AU - Sikkes, Sietske A.M.
AU - Silva, Ana Rita
AU - Zouhar, Imane
AU - The NeuroCOVID International Neuropsychology Taskforce
PY - 2021
DA - May
TI - Assessment of neurocognitive functions, olfaction, taste, mental, and psycho-social health in COVID-19 in adults: recommendations for harmonization of research and implications for clinical practice
JO - Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1355617721000862
AB - Objective: To propose a set of internationally harmonized procedures and methods for assessing neurocognitive functions, smell, taste, mental, and psychosocial health, and other factors in adults formally diagnosed with COVID-19 (confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 + WHO definition).  Methods: We formed an international and cross-disciplinary NeuroCOVID Neuropsychology Taskforce in April 2020. Seven criteria were used to guide the selection of the recommendations’ methods and procedures: (i) Relevance to all COVID-19 illness stages and longitudinal study design; (ii) Standard, cross-culturally valid or widely available instruments; (iii) Coverage of both direct and indirect causes of COVID-19-associated neurological and psychiatric symptoms; (iv) Control of factors specifically pertinent to COVID-19 that may affect neuropsychological performance; (v) Flexibility of administration (telehealth, computerized, remote/online, face to face); (vi) Harmonization for facilitating international research; (vii) Ease of translation to clinical practice.  Results: The three proposed levels of harmonization include a screening strategy with telehealth option, a medium-size computerized assessment with an online/remote option, and a comprehensive evaluation with flexible administration. The context in which each harmonization level might be used is described. Issues of assessment timelines, guidance for home/remote assessment to support data fidelity and telehealth considerations, cross-cultural adequacy, norms, and impairment definitions are also described.  Conclusions: The proposed recommendations provide rationale and methodological guidance for neuropsychological research studies and clinical assessment in adults with COVID-19. We expect that the use of the recommendations will facilitate data harmonization and global research. Research implementing the recommendations will be crucial to determine their acceptability, usability, and validity.
PB - Cambridge University Press
UR - http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/241729/
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Mental health and wellbeing
KW - Research methods
ER