Guidelines for the safe operation of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation in clinical settings: An Indian perspective

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major disruptive event of our times. It has necessitated changes in all aspects of health-care practices. Non-invasive brain stimulation procedures (NIBS) such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) are no exceptions. The practice of NIBS in India in COVID-19 is expected to be hospital based and in a non-COVID setting. There are no specific guidelines for safe practice of NIBS in the Indian context for COVID-19. However, the Government of India (GOI) has from time to time issued guidelines for different aspects of hospital infection control practices. We present guidelines for safe practice of NIBS procedures, specifically repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and TDCS in the Indian context based on hospital infection control guidelines as issued by the GOI and the tertiary care hospital in North India where the authors work, available literature and the clinical experience of the authors.