The purpose of this module is to expand your understanding of what a contact tracer is able to do. And provide you with the skills and knowledge to appropriately interact with your community. The role of a contact tracer goes beyond simply seeing individual patients and is important to understand your responsibilities in the context of a larger structure and support system. For the purposes of this module, we have identified three major learning objectives that you will be able to accomplish after this session. First, you will be able to engage in real world settings to inform and educate individuals about COVID-19. As a content tracer, you will experience a variety of interactions with different people in different environments. And it is important to be as professional as that person diversity is possible. Second, you will be able to understand the inter sectional impact of COVID-19 in a deeper context. While COVID-19 has a significant impact on an individual health, the effects of the pandemic can and will bleed into other social, political, and economic aspects of an individual's identity. Knowing the potential for these larger effects will prepare you to better interact and support patients you work with. Last, you will be able to identify your role as an advocate and resource within your own community. As a local contact tracer, you share the responsibility in maintaining your community's health. And understanding your abilities working with support systems that already exist around you. And this will greatly help your ability to assist your patients. Education is one of the most important aspects of your role as a contact tracer. Because of your direct interactions with many people, you will often be the first person individuals will come to with questions. Therefore, it is important to have both the correct information about COVID-19 and be able to express the information well to patients. As a contact tracer, it is important that you have access to a steady stream of reliable information. The situation surrounding COVID-19 can change almost daily. Even on a local level. Because of this it is important to stay up to date with COVID-19 recommendations and look at reliable sources. While this generally applies to information about resources or legislation, it can also extend to how we even approach the illness itself. For example, do you remember at one point we were told we didn't need to wear masks if we weren't sick. And we now know that masks are essential to stopping the spread of COVID-19. In order to provide the most effective care for patients it is vital to routinely follow responsible media and convey this information to patients. Getting reliable information. Many sources is this for getting reliable information about COVID-19, and these sources are often very easily assessable. One of the best resources you can use if you have one is to consult your primary care physician. It is important to have an open line of communication with a medical professional who knows you and is able to answer your questions. This applies to patients as well, for patients who are not sure about their personal immune system, or specific costs and precautions they need to take their primary care physician is the best resource to get highly specific information and attention. For more general understandings of health policy as well as population level steps, TV and news radio can be a great tool to recognize and follow proper safety protocols. However, make sure the news you watch is staffed by medical experts sharing validated, scientific information. Lastly, information posted on credible websites is also a valid free as a good resource to counsel as well. Organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization can provide national or global health information. While local health departments or the Mayor's office can provide information you need to your county or neighborhood. Avoid misinformation. In such uncertain times it is tempting to resort to an information that is most readily apparent viral or shocking. As a contact tracer, it is important that you treat all the information that you see with the scrutinize an eye and do a significant amount of individual. Research to come to fact based conclusions on your own. Many of the studies or data circulating on social media are unverified are from very uncertain sources. So it is important to take those hot button theories with a grain of salt until you can verify the information yourself from one of the trusted sources mentioned before. Moreover, as important as it is to recognize misinformation, it is also important to refrain from spreading misinformation. Unless you are absolutely sure to something you have heard or seen as verifiable and true. Do not share it with your patients or spread it in your social circles. As some may take it to heart and make unwise health decisions based on the information you share. Speaking of social circles, it's important that you capitalize on your role as a contact tracer and talk to people around you about COVID-19. And tell them about steps they can take to protect themselves and others. While this is obviously true for patients that you will directly interact with, it is also important that you do the same with anyone you know or are familiar with. This includes family members, friends, co workers, faith members, community members or member from local organizations you're a part of. Your role as a content tracer will allow people to listen to you more intently and take your word more seriously. And this is important to be responsible and active with the knowledge that you have. While talking to patients in the community about COVID-19, it is important that you talk about their own feelings and concerns and validate the experiences that they have. Also, it's important to emphasize that while these feelings are valid, the protective measures for COVID-19 are necessary and important. Social distancing, for example, is meant to flatten the curve of COVID-19, and limit the interactions of individuals to keep contact at a minimum. Being six feet apart at all times greatly reduces the risk of getting infected by another person. And not only makes the patient themselves safer, but also protects the people around them. Face mask and frequent hand washing also very important hygienic steps to take to reduce the spread of COVID-19. While people will be receptive to your test as a contact tracer, there will also be many patients who have concerns about contact tracing when interacting with you. In these instances, it is important that your patients know that you are listening and emphasizing with them and genuinely want to address their concerns. These concerns generally come from a place of confusion or misinformation and it is important to recognize their emotions and respond compassionately with the right information. The following slides include some questions that you may experience as a content tracer, as well as suggested ways to answer those questions. Why do I need to wear a face mask when adults feel sick? In this scenario, the patient is skeptical about needing to wear face masks. This is a very common concern for many people. And since there are communities where the use of a face mask is not mandated, many think they're unnecessary, here it is best to respond with specific information about how the virus spreads. As well as a more personal example that may make more sense to the patient. For example, you can say, we can spread COVID-19 to others even when we don't feel sick. We are also contagious two days before feeling any symptoms. Wearing a face mask will not only protect you from getting the virus but will also protect others. If we both wear face masks are protecting you and you protect me. Each person gets COVID-19 useless press the bar is to at least two to three others that they did not take precautions. Then those two the three people spread to an additional two to three people and so on. And this way the contact tracer are both provide scientific information, as well as a more layperson explanation of how the virus spreads. I cannot stay home and quarantine, I have to get food and work and care for my family. For many people, self quarantine and social distancing seems undoable because of the nature of their jobs or finances. For these individuals that may not have the ability to get paid working from home, COVID-19 can have an unexpected impact on their financial security. Individuals such as these would therefore often say they can't quarantine. And these scenarios it is important to recognize that the person can feel like they are between a rock and a hard place. Because of this, the best stuff to take is to provide the patient with resources to help to care for themselves and their family and encourage them to stay home if they can. The following response is a good example of this. If you have COVID-19 or if you have been a false contact with someone with COVID-19, I'm asking that you try to stay home so the virus will not spread. I can put you in contact with services to help you with your needs during this time. Do you know anyone who can go grocery shopping for you and perhaps leave food at your door? If you take a medication, do you have enough medications at home now? For others COVID-19 simply does not seem like a big concern, especially in early stage of the COVID-19. Many people thought it was no worse than the flu and therefore the test normally. Fresh individuals may say I am healthy and not in the high risk group. If I get COVID-19, I'll be okay and I'll survive. In this case, it's important to correct any misinformation and quickly and compassionately empathize that COVID-19 is more than just an individual disease that can affect entire communities and populations have not taken seriously. An example with the following. Let the patient know you hear what they're saying. You feel healthy and do not have health problems. You are correct. The healthy people usually do well. However, there are some healthy people who still get very sick if they get the virus. We also want to think about those around us who are not as healthy, and should try not to pass the virus to them because they may not do as well. Also, many patients will make a direct comparison, asking, is COVID-19 just like the flu? An appropriate response to this question is to first acknowledge why the patient may think or why they have this assumption. The best approach is to simply provide evidence showing that COVID-19 is significantly different than the flu, especially when it comes to infrastructure to deal with it. The following response may work well. I understand why you think that, as symptoms are similar at first. However, while the flu has been studied for much longer and we have vaccines for the flu, the same is not true for COVID-19. There's still a lot we don't understand and we lack standardized vaccines and treatment for it. I also have the freedom to go wherever I want and do what I want. Others can also refute the idea of social distancing or safety precautions on principle ascending as such limitations are against all civil liberties. Patients may feel like they can do what they want when they want because of freedom. For such patients it is important to acknowledge their frustrations as valid and understandable. Then be sure to provide context for the specific sacrifices they are making and how it will benefit the community as a whole. If everyone practices social distancing. Such as this response, while social distance and staying home policy will certainly be an inconvenience for many people. The comparative trade off is well worth it to protect lives and advice of other Americans as well. COVID-19 can disproportionately impact immunocompromised or impoverished individuals more than it may impact you. While it's inconvenient for you, is life threatening for others. By practicing social distancing, you can walk quiet well possibly save lives. Lastly, many patients will be skeptical of the media coverage and information reported regarding COVID-19, saying, I don't believe COVID-19 is as big a deal as the media is making it out to be. In these cases, it is important to provide real world examples of true stories and events related to COVID-19. As well as provide a collaborative approach to going through news or research together to help the patient will last us for verity of COVID-19, such as the following. There are many stories of medical providers on Facebook providing just how intense and overwhelming COVID-19 has been to the emergency healthcare system. Perhaps some of these stories can help give you a better understanding of what we're dealing with, many independent research centers and think tanks have researched the impact of COVID on both the economy and the death toll. Perhaps we could go over some of the data so you can see how pandemic has changed over the past few months. Moreover, as a contract tracer, you will interact with many different populations that will each have unique health needs that you should be prepared to address and assist. Some of these groups are being vulnerable populations. Then we'll have additional communication barriers. And for those groups especially it is important to use extra effort to provide high quality care. Some of these groups include homeless individuals, individuals who speak various languages, individuals from different cultures and individuals without transportation. Contact tracers will need to interview a variety of people from a variety of populations. To help understand and how to interact with these populations, please watch the following videos addressing non English speaking, homeless and hearing impaired population. Please review the following article about homeless populations and COVID-19 before moving to the next slide. Another major barrier for contact tracers is the difficulty of communicating with individuals that may not have a firm grasp of English asset contact tracer cohorts should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, including tracers who speak the languages of these diverse communities. In Houston, for example, many individuals speak Spanish or Vietnamese rather than English. And it's important to plan accordingly by training contact tracers that are well versed in these languages. While interacting with such patients, be sure not to have assumptions, and ask them what language they would prefer to communicate in. Then make sure you have access to a variety of interpreters to communicate more effectively and make sure all information is properly conveyed when necessary. Similar to language barriers, cultural barriers can also make it harder to convey information about COVID-19 respectfully and accurately. Therefore educational teams should represent the cultures and the communities that they serve. More than just having the benefit of familiarity. People of similar cultures can more easily establish trust, speak in culturally competent ways to facilitate understanding and more accurately understand and navigate cultural barriers that others may not be aware of. Lastly, transportation barriers can also significantly impact the access individuals have information about COVID-19. Many people don't have access to transportation such as cars and therefore can be cut off the medical care and other necessary resources. As a contact tracer, you can refer to organizations who may help with deliveries of such needs, such as food, mask, and medication, so that anyone that is struggling to get these essential goods can have access to them.
