ReSET Aim 1b: Restarting Safe Education and Testing for Children With Medical Complexity - COVID-19 Testing in School With Children and Staff

Study Summary

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a worldwide pandemic that has resulted in large-scale quarantines in cities, states, and countries throughout the world. SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that is most commonly spread via contact with infective respiratory droplets and aerosols produced by coughing, sneezing, talking, and singing. Children with medical complexity (CMC), i.e., children with multiple severe chronic conditions, high resource use, severe functional limitations, and substantial family-identified service needs, are a medically vulnerable population for the development of severe COVID-19. Deciding to send CMC to school poses a major dilemma to families wanting to minimize severe COVID-19 risk. School personnel also face risks when CMC attend school. Despite these challenges, achieving in-person school attendance is critical for CMC. Compared to non-CMC, academic and social development for most CMC hinges on being at school. Severe intellectual and developmental disability impairs one's ability to engage with online platforms. Health-promoting services delivered at school, e.g., physical, occupational, and speech therapy, are likely less effective when delivered virtually. Parents of CMC, already disproportionately unemployed due to their child's care needs, experience added employment strain when their child is out of school. The study objective is to increase the safe return to school for CMC by 1) evaluating the feasibility of school-based COVID-19 testing strategies and 2) identifying parent and staff perceptions of testing and school attendance. A related study (ReSET Aim 1a, NCT04895085) will evaluate the same factors in home-based testing strategies in CMC exclusively.

Primary Outcome

Feasibility of school based COVID-19 testing will be evaluated by protocol uptake. Data will be retrieved from the study log. Two data limitations to note: * The enrollment rate was not stratified by caregiver and child number at the time of data collection. The data was collected at the level of the child. * The enrollment rate was not stratified by caregiver/child dyad and staff at the time of data collection. This is a limitation of our data. It is not possible to stratify this outcome and i

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• DIAGNOSTIC_TEST BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen System

Study Locations (1)