Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Lansing, MI, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2022 Nov-Dec;137(2_suppl):35S-39S. doi: 10.1177/00333549221099238. Epub 2022 Jun 14.
Contact tracing is an evidence-based intervention to control many communicable diseases, including COVID-19. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing in Michigan focused on HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis, and it was conducted by state and local health department staff. Within 2 weeks of the first reported COVID-19 cases in Michigan in March 2020, the existing public health workforce was overwhelmed by the need for contact tracing and daily symptom monitoring. This case study narrates the development of a staffing plan that included volunteers and contractual staff to conduct centralized contact tracing in a home-rule state (ie, a state in which local health departments have full authority and autonomy under public health code to conduct the functions necessary to prevent disease, including contact tracing). This case study details various training, workforce management, and technology tools that were used. During the study period (May 2020-June 2021), contact tracers called 432 218 contacts and 269 439 were successfully reached, 48 134 of whom reported developing symptoms. The most important lesson learned was the need for more automated processes to improve efficiency in processing volunteer applicants, training, and scheduling. Nonetheless, the centralized workforce was successful, was flexible, and met the changing demands in Michigan.
接触者追踪是一种基于证据的干预措施，可用于控制多种传染病，包括 COVID-19。在 COVID-19 大流行之前，密歇根州的接触者追踪工作主要集中在 HIV、性传播感染和结核病上，由州和地方卫生部门的工作人员进行。在 2020 年 3 月密歇根州首次报告 COVID-19 病例后的两周内，现有的公共卫生工作人员因需要进行接触者追踪和每日症状监测而不堪重负。本案例研究叙述了一项人员配备计划的制定过程，该计划包括志愿者和合同工，以在一个自治州（即在公共卫生法规下，地方卫生部门拥有全面权力和自主权，可以开展预防疾病所需的职能，包括接触者追踪）中进行集中接触者追踪。本案例研究详细介绍了所使用的各种培训、劳动力管理和技术工具。在研究期间（2020 年 5 月至 2021 年 6 月），接触者追踪员共联系了 432 218 名接触者，成功联系了 269 439 名接触者，其中 48 134 名报告出现症状。得出的最重要的经验教训是需要更多自动化流程来提高处理志愿者申请人、培训和安排的效率。尽管如此，集中的劳动力还是成功的，具有灵活性，并满足了密歇根州不断变化的需求。
