People with Disabilities and Other Forms of Vulnerability to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Study Protocol for a Scoping Review and Thematic Analysis

Tiago S Jesus; Sureshkumar Kamalakannan; Sutanuka Bhattacharjya; Yelena Bogdanova; Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla; Jacob Bentley; Barbara E Gibson; Christina Papadimitriou; Refugee Empowerment Task Force, International Networking Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

doi:10.1016/j.arrct.2020.100079

People with Disabilities and Other Forms of Vulnerability to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Study Protocol for a Scoping Review and Thematic Analysis

Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl. 2020 Dec;2(4):100079. doi: 10.1016/j.arrct.2020.100079. Epub 2020 Aug 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Global Health and Tropical Medicine and WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Workforce Policy and Planning, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
² Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, Sargent College, Boston University, Boston, MA.
³ Public Health Foundation of India, South Asia Centre for Disability Inclusive Development and Research, Indian Institute of Public Health-Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.
⁴ Department of Occupational Therapy, Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.
⁵ Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
⁷ IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
⁸ Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.
⁹ Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA.
¹¹ Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
¹² Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹³ Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁴ School of Health Sciences, Departments of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, and Sociology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI.

Abstract

Objectives: To develop a protocol for a scoping review mapping as well as thematically analyzing the literature on the effect of, and responses to, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, focused on people with disabilities with other layers of individual vulnerability or social disadvantage.

Methods: We will search scientific databases (Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, AgeLine, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC) and preprint servers (MedRxiv, SocArXiv, PsyArXiv). Google searches, snowballing, and key-informant strategies were also used, including a focus on the gray literature (eg, official reports). Peer-reviewed and preprint publications will be covered in 6 languages, and the gray literature in English. Publications will be included if they address individuals with disabilities; the COVID-19 pandemic or subsequent socioeconomic or occupational effects; and individual or social vulnerabilities, including any form of discrimination, marginalization, or social disadvantage. Two independent reviewers will perform eligibility decisions and key data extractions. Beyond mapping the literature, the results will thematically analyze any disproportionate risks people with disabilities and other forms of vulnerability experience in terms of being infected by COVID-19, having severe health consequences, and facing negative socioeconomic effects. Actions taken or recommended to reduce identified inequalities will also be synthesized. Our entire research team, with diverse backgrounds, will be involved in the synthesis.

Conclusions: This review, which we plan to expedite, aims to inform policy makers, health authorities, disability advocates, and other stakeholders regarding the needs and ways to promote equity and disability-inclusive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant socioeconomic shockwaves.

Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; Coronavirus; Disabled persons; PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis; PwD, people with disabilities; Rehabilitation; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Vulnerable populations.