Τίτλος:
Appraisal of a Contact Tracing Training Program for COVID-19 in Greece
Focusing on Vulnerable Populations
Γλώσσες Τεκμηρίου:
Αγγλικά
Περίληψη:
Background: Contact tracing as an epidemiological strategy has
repeatedly contributed to the containment of various past epidemics and
succeeded in controlling the spread of disease in the community.
Systematic training of contact tracers is crucial in ensuring the
effectiveness of epidemic containment. Methods: An intensive training
course was offered to 216 health and other professionals who work with
vulnerable population groups, such as Roma, refugees, and migrants in
Greece, by the scientific team of the postgraduate programme “Global
Health-Disaster Medicine” of the Medical School, National and
Kapodistrian University of Athens, with the support of the Swiss embassy
in Greece. The course was delivered online due to the pandemic
restriction measures and was comprised of 16 h over 2 days. The course
curriculum was adapted in Greek using, upon agreement, a similar
training course to what was developed by the Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health. Evaluation of the course was
conducted in order to determine the short term satisfaction from
participating in this training course. Results: A total of 70% of the
course participants completed the evaluation questionnaires and all
trainers gave feedback on the course. The training modules were ranked
as extremely useful by the majority of the participants and over 50% of
the participants specifically stated that the course content was
directly related to their work with vulnerable groups. Content about the
ethics of contact tracing and the effective communication skills
presented were deemed most useful. Conclusion: The course was well
organised and provided the required skills for effective contact
tracing. Many course participants intend to use some components in their
work with vulnerable populations groups. Contact tracing efforts work
best in a systematic and coordinated way and the provision of systematic
and organised training can greatly increase its effectiveness.
Συγγραφείς:
Riza, Elena
Kakalou, Eleni
Nitsa, Evangelia and
Hodges-Mameletzis, Ioannis
Goggolidou, Paraskevi
Terzidis, Agis
and Cardoso, Eleni
Puchner, Karl Philipp
Solomos, Zisimos and
Pikouli, Anastasia
Stoupa, Eleni-Panagiota
Kakalou, Christina
and Karamagioli, Evika
Pikoulis, Emmanouil
Περιοδικό:
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Λέξεις-κλειδιά:
COVID-19; contact tracing; training course; vulnerable groups;
communication skills; evaluation
DOI:
10.3390/ijerph18179257
