Barry Gerald, McCarney Catherine, Farrelly Marc, Breathnach Rory, Mooney Carmel, More Simon J
School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 W6F6, Ireland.
Public Health Pract (Oxf). 2022 Jun;3:100255. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2022.100255. Epub 2022 Apr 3.
With the ongoing circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in countries across the world it is essential to identify effective ways to reduce the risk of infection while allowing society to function as close to 'normal' as possible. Serial testing using rapid lateral flow antigen tests is a possible way to do this by screening populations in a targeted way, identifying infectious (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) people and removing them from circulation while infectious. To make rapid antigen testing effective, high levels of participation are important. This study was designed to evaluate the establishment of a testing programme in a university setting and assess some of the factors that impact participation in such a study among both staff and students.
Observational, survey.
A trial period of SARS-CoV-2 rapid testing using the Abbott Panbio rapid antigen test was set up and staff and students based in the University College Dublin Veterinary Hospital were asked to take part voluntarily for 6 weeks. Following the trial period, we used a questionnaire to evaluate satisfaction and to understand some reasons behind participation or lack thereof.
Overall, almost all respondents to the survey stated that they were happy with having a testing programme present in the workplace and it helped to reduce anxiety associated with COVID-19. Findings indicated that staff and students did not participate equally in the voluntary testing programme. The findings also highlighted that intrinsic motivations and extrinsic motivations for participation differ. For example, participation among staff was much higher than among students, motivational messaging focused on protecting others did not resonate with students as much as staff, convenience was a key factor driving participation in both cohorts and the pressure of being forced to miss class (if positive) close to exam time provided motivation to students to avoid testing.
Introducing antigen testing into a workplace helped to reduce overall anxiety associated with the potential impact of COVID-19, but achieving good participation was challenging. Participation is key to a successful, campus wide antigen testing programme but reaching high levels of participation is not straightforward and can not be taken for granted. Different motivations drive participation in different cohorts and different messaging/incentivisation is needed to encourage participation in those different cohorts. The findings reported here should inform any SARS-CoV-2 testing programme that will run in these types of settings in the future.
随着严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）在世界各国持续传播，必须找到有效的方法来降低感染风险，同时让社会尽可能接近“正常”运转。使用快速侧向流动抗原检测进行系列检测是一种可行的方法，通过有针对性地筛查人群，识别出有传染性的（包括有症状和无症状的）人员，并在其具有传染性时将其从传播链中移除。为使快速抗原检测有效，高参与度很重要。本研究旨在评估在大学环境中建立检测计划的情况，并评估影响教职员工和学生参与此类研究的一些因素。
观察性调查。
设立了一个使用雅培Panbio快速抗原检测进行SARS-CoV-2快速检测的试验期，都柏林大学学院兽医院的教职员工和学生被邀请自愿参与为期6周的检测。试验期结束后，我们使用一份问卷来评估满意度，并了解参与或未参与的一些原因。
总体而言，几乎所有参与调查的受访者都表示，他们对工作场所设有检测计划感到满意，这有助于减轻与2019冠状病毒病相关的焦虑。结果表明，教职员工和学生在自愿检测计划中的参与程度并不相同。研究结果还突出表明，参与的内在动机和外在动机存在差异。例如，教职员工的参与度远高于学生，侧重于保护他人的激励信息对学生的共鸣不如对教职员工的大，便利性是推动两个群体参与的关键因素之一，而在考试时间临近时因检测呈阳性而被迫缺课的压力促使学生避免检测。
在工作场所引入抗原检测有助于减轻与2019冠状病毒病潜在影响相关的总体焦虑，但实现高参与度具有挑战性。参与是校园范围内成功开展抗原检测计划的关键，但要达到高参与度并非易事，不能想当然。不同的动机促使不同群体参与，需要不同的信息传递/激励措施来鼓励不同群体参与。此处报告的研究结果应为未来在这类环境中开展的任何SARS-CoV-2检测计划提供参考。
