[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 1: First let's talk about some complexities with process and how you might address those. So remember that process issues are ones that prevent you from following exactly the protocol that you have for contact tracing. Here are just a few examples of what some issues with process might be. Let's say, for example, the contact becomes ill. So then, it's difficult to follow the contact tracing protocol with them, because now maybe they're a case. So it can be difficult to decide how to handle that conversation. Another possible issue could be that it just took a long time to find the contact. So by the time you talk to them, maybe most of their quarantine period is over or something like that. It could make it difficult for you to follow through on what you know you should do next. What if you call a case but they've now moved to another city or state? Well, that would be an issue, because then you'd have to identify and put them in touch with their local public health department. That could be a problem. Sometimes, information in your database about a case or a contact may be incorrect. That's a common issue. It just happens due to human error. But it can also be something that you'll need to be aware of. Sometimes, life just happens. Your computer may break, for example. Or maybe you need to call someone back, but it's the end of your shift, so it's going to make things difficult. In your job as a contact tracer, you're going to find many issues with following the protocol. These are just a few. But it's important to keep in mind that these are normal, it's a natural part of the job, and you just need to do your best to navigate through. Now I want to give you some best practices that will help you deal with all of these process issues. We couldn't even list all of the possible process issues that you may encounter. And we're not going to go one by one to tell you about how to solve each one, because it could depend on many different things. But in general, there are some things that you can do that are always going to help in any given situation. First, you should stay organized. You've got to record data carefully and write very detailed notes for you or others to follow. Remember, you're going to be following up with cases and contacts for a long time. It's likely that someone else may need to call them and know what you've talked with them about before. So detailed notes are really important. And you should always empathize. Practice reflective listening, provide reassurance. Because ultimately, if there are these issues with process, you're going to have to get through it together with the case or the contact. And any kind of empathy and good rapport that you can build with them is going to help everybody get through it more easily. Finally, always look to your local protocol and talk to your supervisor if you ever encounter a situation that you don't feel like you can confidently handle on your own. All right. Let's tackle just one example of an issue with process. Let's say you call a case, and they've already been contacted by the health department, and they're not really happy that you're calling again. So staying organized can help. So if they say they've already been contacted. You should check to see if there's already a record in the health department. If not, you should keep going with the call. Because it's possible they've been mistaken or something else may have happened. But you need the information. Collect the information that you need from the case, and then be sure to let your supervisor know and make notes in the call so you could try to troubleshoot later and maybe figure out what happened. You should empathize with the person. We can all understand what it would feel like to get multiple calls and feel like you're having to repeat information. You could say something like, I hear that you're frustrated. You should, of course, thank them for their time. In this next vignette, you're going to hear how Amy, the contact tracer, deals with a difficult situation, a more complex situation, with Annette. And Amy uses all of the best practices we've taught you about. So this will give you a good indication about what your complex conversations should sound like, too. [VIDEO PLAYBACK] SPEAKER 2: Hello. This is Amy calling from the Hillside Health Department. Is this Annette? SPEAKER 3: Yes, this is me. Hi. SPEAKER 2: Hey, Annette. It sounds like you're not doing too hot. SPEAKER 3: Yeah. I mean, I'm not super sick, like, I don't need to go to the hospital or anything. SPEAKER 2: OK. Well, I'm here to talk with you about that. But before we go any further, just like you did last time with my colleague, Drew, I just need to confirm it's you. SPEAKER 3: OK. My birthday is August the 4th, 1958. And I live at 1994 Pebble Brook Circle in Hillside. SPEAKER 2: Thanks, Annette. So first off, let's just talk about you. What's going on for you right now, symptom wise? SPEAKER 3: Well, after you called and told me that someone at choir had coronavirus, I just waited home like you told me. And then that weekend, I got a cough, and I started to feel just, you know. But my cough has mostly gone now. It lasted a few days now. But I just feel really, really, really tired, maybe a little feverish. SPEAKER 2: I'm real sorry to hear that. It just sounds like you haven't been feeling your best. SPEAKER 3: Yeah. Thankfully, it's not too bad, though. Generally, I'm feeling better. SPEAKER 2: Oh, good. Good, good, good. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. SPEAKER 3: Thanks. SPEAKER 2: All right. All right, well, since we know that you were around somebody with coronavirus, it's possible that that's also what you have. SPEAKER 3: I've been really worried about it. I've just been reading so much in the news about how bad this can be. SPEAKER 2: Yeah. The news can be really scary. I hear you. SPEAKER 3: I mean, I've not gotten really bad. But who knows? SPEAKER 2: Yeah. It's a difficult time, and it's tough to know what's going to happen. But we're here to check up on you. And we can take things step by step together. SPEAKER 3: OK. SPEAKER 2: OK. So let's see. I have a list here of symptoms that might need immediate attention. And I can share that with you at the end of our call. And then that way, you can know what to be on the lookout for, OK? SPEAKER 3: Yeah. No, that's good. Thanks. SPEAKER 2: All right. So let's just talk a little bit about how you've been feeling. I already have noted here that you've been feeling very, very tired like you said and that you've had a cough and maybe a bit feverish. But do you mind if I get some details about those and just go over a few more specific symptoms? - Yeah, that's fine. - All right. Let me just note these. OK, so that cough-- about how many days have you had that cough? - About three days. - OK, three days. And how many days ago did you start to feel feverish? - Maybe the last two. - OK, last two days. - I never took my temperature though. - That's OK, Annette. That's OK. Have you been feeling short of breath at all? - No, not really. I feel tired, but I'm not winded. - OK, that's good. That's good to hear that. And let's see. Next, do you have any diarrhea? - No. - All right. Excellent. And what about vomiting? - Nuh-uh. - OK, good. No vomiting. And chills? - Nope. - OK, no chills, and then this is last symptom here that I wanted to ask you about. How about a sore throat since you've been coughing? - Yeah, a bit. - Yeah. Yeah. OK, thanks for going through those with me. So did you-- have you happened to call your doctor just to let them know that you're feeling this way and that you were around somebody with coronavirus? - Yeah. Yeah. She's arranging for me to get tested. But for now, she just said to stay home and let her know if things get any worse. - OK, great. I'm glad you checked in with her. And since you have some symptoms that are similar to coronavirus, and you were around somebody who has coronavirus, we're just going to need to make a plan for you to continue staying at home and isolating yourself. That make sense? - Yeah. I mean, that's not really what I want to hear. Because I mean, I understand. I kind of figured it. But I haven't been able to work, and I just-- I can only do so much from home. - Yeah. Yeah. I hear you, just there's only so much that you can do and get from at home. And well, we can definitely get you connected up with some resources so you're able to continue staying home. - Yeah. Thank you. I mean, you all did help me. You got me a note for work. And my daughter's still dropping off her groceries for me. In fact, I even had her take the dog right after I got off the phone with your colleague. - Oh, good. I'm glad that she could take care of the dog. And everyone's just been able to help. When your daughter's coming over to bring your groceries, has she been staying outside of the apartment? - Yes. Yes, she has not been coming inside. We've not been close at all. You know, this is not easy. You know? - Yeah. Yeah, I hear you. It's just it can be really rough being apart from the people that we love. It sounds like you're close. Yeah. OK, well, the next couple of questions that I have for you might seem a little detailed. But I just need to understand how you've been spending your time, what you've been doing, and where you've been for the past couple of days. I heard you when you said that you were feeling real tired, but sometimes we forget. And it helps to just go through some previous text messages and see what we were doing. Would you be willing to do that with me? - Sure. Yeah. Let me grab my phone. - Great. Thank you. - Yeah, got it. - OK. OK, so why don't you just open that up and scroll back to what you were up to yesterday. And yeah. What's there? - OK. OK, my daughter sent me some pictures of my dog. I was at home. - OK, so you're yesterday at home, seeing pictures of the dog. And what about the day before that? - Let's see. Well, I have a few messages from my friends. And they're just telling me that they hope I'm feeling better. - That's sweet. OK, good friends. And any activities out and about that day? - No, no, just me messaging back how tired I am and how much sleeping I'm doing. - Yeah. OK, well, I'm glad that you're getting some rest. And what about the days before that? Anything? - No, no. It's just some messages from my daughter. She's letting me know that she's making some new masks. And they're really nice. - Awesome. What a talent. Yeah, mask making is kind of an art. OK, so nothing these past couple of days. And OK, we're almost done with this call. So I just have a couple more things to ask you. And I'm just real sorry that you're not feeling too hot. But since you aren't feeling well, yeah. We'd just like for you to start taking your temperature about twice a day, writing it down. And that way, we can just see if you have a fever, and if you do, how things are changing. - All right. I can do that. - OK, thank you. And if you'd be willing to take note of any other symptoms that you notice, that'd be great too. OK? - Yep, I can do that. - Wonderful. All right. Lastly, I promised that we'd talk about any worrying symptoms that you might need to call your doctor back about. Do you have something to write this down with? - Yeah, let me grab some paper. OK, got it. - OK. - Ready. - Ready? Ready. OK. OK, so the first one is shortness of breath. OK? A pressure in your chest that doesn't go away. - OK. - OK. If you start to feel confused at all. - OK. - OK. And this last one-- if your lips or face start to turn blue. - Oh, god. Really? - Yeah. Yeah. Annette, listen. These symptoms are sort of the-- are an indicator that you need to get help right away. Most people have mild to moderate symptoms, and these are pretty rare. But we just-- we really just want you to be prepared if they do happen. And if they were to happen-- and obviously, we hope that they don't. But if they were to happen, we just want to let you know that you should call your doctor or 911 immediately and let them know that you were around someone who is positive. Like I said, we hope you don't need to, but that's just-- that's what we advise. Sound OK? - Yeah, that sounds good. - OK, great. All right. Well, just looking down and that's really all I've got for right now. Do you have any questions for me? - No, I don't think so. - OK, great. So our plan is just for you to continue staying home. You're going to take your temperature twice a day. Keep track of how you're feeling. And I'll make sure someone gets in contact with you about resources while you're not able to work. And then we'll just keep calling and see how you're doing, OK? - Yeah, that would be good. Thank you. - OK, thanks so much, Annette. Really appreciate you chatting with me today. Take care. Bye. - Bye. [END PLAYBACK] [MUSIC PLAYING]
