Table 2.

Clinical and educational implications from scoping review: key recommendations to lessen the impact of COVID-19 preventative measures on communication.

Recommendation	Motivation
Reduce background noise
Healthcare contexts Educational environments Communicating with people with hearing loss	Improve speech understanding Reduce anxiety to hear
Type of mask Transparent masks
Especially when communicating with people with hearing loss	Access to visual cues / speechreading cues improve speech understanding Reduce listening effort Visibility of emotions from facial expressions help improve empathy and trust
Opaque masks
Surgical mask or N95 mask	Less impact on speech signal and speech understanding than other opaque masks
Use remote microphone technology
Classroom settings Communicating with people with hearing loss	Improve speech understanding
Use augmentative strategies
Speak slowly and clearly Use gestures Do no shout Rephrase rather than repeat verbatim Write key information	Improve communication interaction overall
Use of remote or virtual communication
Quiet environment with good lighting Look directly at camera Use live subtitling	Improve clear communication; take care to ensure empathetic communication