Formative Evaluation of a Student Symptom Decision Tree for COVID-19

Objective: In support of restarting during the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools partnered with local experts in academia, education, community, and public health to provide decision-support tools for determining what actions to take when presented with students at risk for spreading infection at scho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health behavior and policy review 2023-02, Vol.10 (1), p.1140-1152
Main Authors: Campo, Maritza S, Miovsky, Nicole, Schneider, Margaret, Woodworth, Amanda, DeHaven, Michelle, Kahn, Pamela, Weiss, Michael, Cooper, Dan M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Communication
COVID-19
Decision making
Decision trees
Decisions
Disease transmission
Education
Formative evaluation
Formative Evaluation
Symptom Decision Tree
Covid-19
Public Health Guidance
Health Communication
School Health
Nurses
Pandemics
Public health
Public health education
Public schools
Respondents
School districts
School nurses
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Students
Usability
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Summary:Objective: In support of restarting during the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools partnered with local experts in academia, education, community, and public health to provide decision-support tools for determining what actions to take when presented with students at risk for spreading infection at school. Methods: The Student Symptom Decision Tree, developed in Orange County, California, is a flow chart consisting of branching logic and definitions to assist school personnel in making decisions regarding possible COVID-19 cases in schools, which was repeatedly updated to reflect evolving evidence-based guidelines. A survey of 56 school personnel evaluated the frequency of use, acceptability, feasibility, appropriateness, usability, and helpfulness of the Decision Tree. Results: The tool was used at least 6 times a week by 66% of respondents. The Decision Tree was generally perceived as acceptable (91%), feasible (70%), appropriate (89%), usable (71%), and helpful (95%). Suggestions for improvement included reducing the complexity in content and formatting of the tool. Conclusion: The data suggest that school personnel found value in the Decision Tree, which was intended to assist them with making decisions in a challenging and evolving pandemic.
ISSN:2326-4403
2326-4403
DOI:10.14485/HBPR.10.1.1