title: Methodological challenges when doing research that includes ethnic minorities: a scoping review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are challenging methodological issues in obtaining valid and reliable results on which to base occupational therapy interventions for ethnic minorities. The aim of this scoping review is to describe the methodological problems within occupational therapy research, when ethnic minorities are included.
  
  
  METHODS
  A thorough literature search yielded 21 articles obtained from the scientific databases PubMed, Cinahl, Web of Science and PsychInfo. Analysis followed Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews, applying content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed methodological issues concerning the entire research process from defining and recruiting samples, the conceptual understanding, lack of appropriate instruments, data collection using interpreters to analyzing data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to avoid excluding the ethnic minorities from adequate occupational therapy research and interventions, development of methods for the entire research process is needed. It is a costly and time-consuming process, but the results will be valid and reliable, and therefore more applicable in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Occupational Therapy , Metropolitan University College , Copenhagen , Denmark ;
authors.forename: Anne-Le
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Morville
authors.affiliation: b Department of Health Science , Lund University , Lund , Sweden.
authors.forename: Lena-Karin
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Erlandsson
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods*; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008913:Minority Groups; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D018579:Patient Selection; D035842:Research Subjects; D013223:Statistics as Topic
keywords: Analysis; data collection; interpreter; occupational therapy; research strategies; sampling