JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The infectivity characteristics of SARS-Cov-2 require expeditious testing and isolation of cases for pandemic control. The large proportion of very severe or deadly cases, combined with a lack of specific treatment options for SARS-CoV-2, makes it imperative to identify and isolate infected individuals and quickly test their exposed close contacts (ECC) to reduce the odds of continued spread. Compared to conventional contact tracing, cell phone-based exposure notification has potential to inform individuals of exposures more quickly, to identify a more complete set of true contacts, and to better assess extent of exposure. Promptly providing contacts with information about their exposure, allowing them to proactively measure their risks, and take actions that might safeguard their own and the public’s health.

Objective:

This paper describes a protocol to evaluate the implementation of a COVID-19 exposure notification application, the SC Safer Together App (Safer Together), on a large, public university campus. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to 1) characterize and evaluate communication, dissemination and implementation strategies used to promote and support the use of Safer Together and 2) examine implementation outcomes (reach, acceptability, adoption and use) as well as barriers and facilitators encountered from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. The study objectives are to: 1. Describe the content, intended audience(s), communication channels, and timing of multi-level communication, dissemination and implementation strategies used to deploy Safer Together. 2. Determine the reach, acceptability, adoption, and use of Safer Together among targeted audiences of university students, employees (University staff, faculty and emeritus faculty), and health care providers. 3. Characterize barriers and facilitators to implementation and use of Safer Together.

Methods:

A parallel convergent mixed methods design will be used to 1) describe implementation strategies (i.e., marketing, distribution, education) used to launch the program and 2) evaluate program reach, acceptability, adoption and use guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. The study will focus on three phases of dissemination and implementation that include start-up/planning (phase I), early implementation as students return to University campus in Fall 2020 (phase II), and late implementation as students continue into the Spring 2021 semester (phase III).

Results:

The project was started on October 28, 2020 and is currently enrolling participants. The active implementation plan spans nine months (October 28, 2020 – August 31, 2021).

Conclusions:

This study proposes a structured approach to evaluate implementation strategies associated with deployment of Safer Together, an exposure notification app, in a university setting from the viewpoint of students, employees, and university leadership. The instruments developed for this study and its results will inform future implementation of apps like Safer Together during pandemic conditions at major state universities and/or statewide. Clinical Trial: not applicable