A Fast Track, online before print, article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
The full article is available as a PDF download.

Authors:

Maritza Salazar Campo, PhD & Nicole Miovsky, MS Authors contributed equally
Margaret Schneider, PhD
Amanda Woodworth, BS
Michelle DeHaven, RN, BSN, PHN, NCSN
Pamela Kahn, MPH, RN, NCSN
Michael Weiss, DO, FAAP
Dan M. Cooper, MD

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.

Conclusions:

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.

Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
Link to Article: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/psp/hbpr/pre-prints/content-psp_hbpr_1011