Living on the Edge: Lived Experiences of Covid-19 Contact Tracers in La Trinidad, Benguet

Abstract

Contact Tracing was not a need and a concern of our country for the past years, and it was not extensively conducted during disease outbreaks, however, due to the pandemic caused by Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), it is now in demand. Contact tracers became essential in hindering the spread of the COVID-19.

The study aimed to understand and describe the experiences of COVID-19 contact tracers while preventing the transmission of infectious diseases especially since our country has limited studies and insights about their experiences.

Data were gathered from 12 contact tracers through semi-structured interviews. Phenomenological Approach specifically Husserlian Descriptive Phenomenology was utilized while Giorgi’s Method was used for the data analysis.

Contact tracers were influenced by multiple factors in joining the contact tracing team, and attended seminars before deployment. They experienced how to deal with different types of clients and situations that challenged their communication skills, investigative ability, and patience. Other struggles include; conflict with colleagues and clients, workload, and unforgettable experiences such as encounters with patients having severe symptoms and even death. Consequently, such struggles are personally dealt with by the contact tracers through different coping mechanisms.

We suggest institutionalized processes of orientation or briefing about the mechanics of contact tracing including: skills needed in case investigation, handling, and educating patients. In addition, the government should have institutionalized and systematic support for contact tracers. Lastly, more research about contact tracers or contact tracing should be conducted to fully describe their experiences.