Engagement With Daily Testing Instead of Self-Isolating in Contacts of Confirmed Cases of SARS-CoV-2: A Qualitative Analysis

  1. Sarah Denford
  2. Alex F. Martin
  3. Nicola Love
  4. Derren Ready
  5. Isabel Oliver
  6. Richard Amlôt
  7. Lucy Yardley
  8. G. James Rubin

Reviewed by

Read the full article See related articles

Listed in

Log in to save this article

Abstract

Introduction: In December 2020 and January 2021 Public Health England (PHE) with NHS Test and Trace conducted a study to explore the feasibility and acceptability of daily testing as an alternative to self-isolation following close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. This qualitative paper aims to identify factors influencing uptake among those offered daily testing, and the subsequent impact on behaviour.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 52 participants who had taken part in the feasibility study. Participants were asked about their experiences of daily testing or self-isolating, their reasons for choosing to test or isolate, and their behaviour during the study period. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Results are presented under two main headings: (1) factors influencing acceptance of testing and (2) impact of test results. Participants appeared highly motivated to engage in behaviours that would protect others from the virus. Factors influencing the decision to accept testing included (1) needing to avoid self-isolation, (2) concerns about test sensitivity, and (3) perceived benefits of detecting infection. Participants who were taking tests reported: (1) positive consequences following confirmation of COVID status, (2) engaging in essential activities, (3) uncertainty, and (4) self-isolating whilst testing.

Conclusions: This study has identified a range of factors that appear to influence the decision to engage in daily testing or to self-isolate following close contact with a positive case, many of which could be addressed by clear communications. Covid-19 infection rates and government restrictions influenced experiences, and so further research is needed to explore perceptions of daily testing and behaviour following close contact with a positive case among a wider range of individuals, in the context of lower rates of COVID-19, few government restrictions on general population behaviour and more widespread testing.

Article activity feed

  1. Version published to 10.3389/fpubh.2021.714041
  2. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2021.05.25.21257644: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    EthicsConsent: All participants who we approached for interview had provided additional consent to be contacted by our team.
    Sex as a biological variablenot detected.
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power Analysisnot detected.

    Table 2: Resources

    No key resources detected.

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    Limitations: The main limitation associated with this work is the extent to which the views of our sample can be transferred to other settings and sectors of the community. Whilst every effort was made to recruit a diverse sample of individuals, it is inevitable that not all groups were included. In particular, those declining daily tests were underrepresented in the sample. Furthermore, many participants reported being able to work remotely, and/or were not financially disadvantaged as a result of having to isolate. Secondly, many of the participants in the study reported excellent adherence to the guidelines at all times, whereas anonymous surveys have found breaches of adherence are common [16]. It is possible that participants did not feel able to admit to breaches – even if they were considered to have been necessary at the time. Participants who had poor adherence may have been less likely to take part in the study. However, our findings are in line with ONS data reporting adherence in 90% of people required to self-isolate following close contact with a confirmed case [17]. Finally, data collection for this study began just as the UK went into a third lockdown, and considerable social distancing restrictions were in place. This will have had a considerable impact on the extent to which many participants had a need to go to work or leave the home for other reasons. Future research should explore a diverse range of views in a context in which lockdown restrictions have b...

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    Results from scite Reference Check: We found no unreliable references.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  3. Version published to 10.1101/2021.05.25.21257644v1 on medRxiv