Barriers to COVID-19 contact tracing: View from frontline healthcare students in Vietnam

Abstract

In the context of the complicated continuous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, contact tracing, along with social distancing and lockdown, proved its crucial role in the suppression of epidemic spreading and management. With the high demand for responsiveness, healthcare students were constantly involved in the process, and challenges have emerged along the way. This study aims to identify the barriers faced by healthcare students while performing the contact tracing task at the frontline of the pandemic.

A qualitative study was conducted in July 2021 in a health center in Binh Duong province, Vietnam. A total of 20 healthcare students were invited through random recruitment of participants and interviewed until the principle of saturation was reached. Three main barriers were identified including ineffective work management of local managers, lack of capability of human resources and facilities, and uncooperative attitude of local residents. Given the existing barriers, cooperative, innovative strategies, shared data systems, and timely public awareness campaigns, especially among primary health centers of the healthcare system, are imperative to reduce the workload and optimize the efficacy of healthcare students’ support.