COVID-19 Safety Precautions

Attachment 1b

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Follow-up Health Study

COVID-19 Safety Precautions

Part 1. Participant COVID-19 Screening

Program staff will screen the respondents for COVID-19 at three points in the process, using the questions shown in Attachments 1e and 1i.

First, they will screen after making phone contact with the respondent, before making the initial appointment. If the respondent answers yes to any question, the program staffer will schedule the respondent for 14 days or more in the future, if the field period will not have ended by that time. If the respondent answers no to all the COVID-19 screener questions, the study staffer will schedule the visit for a time convenient for the respondent. (Attachment 1e)

Second, they will screen if they are able to make phone contact with the respondent 24 to 48 hours before the appointment, as part of the appointment reminder process. If the respondent answers yes to any of the questions, then the appointment will be rescheduled for at least 14 days in the future, if the field period will not have ended by that time. (Attachment 1e)

Third, the health representative will screen when arriving at the home, if the respondent is available. If the respondent answers yes to any of the questions, and this is the phlebotomist’s first visit to the home, then the health representative will attempt to reschedule the appointment at that time for 14 days or more in the future, if the field period will not have ended by then. If that immediate rescheduling attempt is not successful, then study staff will begin the scheduling process from the beginning (as described in Attachment 1e), as long as it is not the health representative’s second visit to the home. If it is the health representative’s second visit, then the case will be coded as a non-respondent. (Attachment 1i)

Note: The 14-day delay is based on current CDC guidance. The number of days used in this protocol will be updated as necessary to ensure it continues to comply with current CDC guidance.

Part 2. Health representative screening, Personal Protective Equipment, and other safety procedures

Health representatives working on this study must do a COVID-19 self-assessment each day, using the CDC-recommended COVID screening questions (as shown in Attachment 1e), and will not work that day if they do not pass. On the day of the scheduled home health visit, the health representative will come to the respondent’s home wearing full Personal Protective Equipment, including a face shield, surgical mask, lab coat or long sleeves under scrubs, gloves, and close-toed shoes. All reusable equipment will be disinfected before the visit. The health representative will follow standard safety procedures during the visit.