in English

Corona contact research

Effective information exchange and care orientation in Covid-19- related contact tracing phone calls. An applied sociolinguistic and conversation analytic enquiry into optimizing interactional dynamics and pragmatic awareness.

Thank you for your interest in this study. Recently, a Covid-19 contact tracer contacted you by telephone in name of the Flemish Agency of Care and Health and you verbally agreed to partake in this study. With this letter we intend to inform you about this research in a written manner. For this reason, we ask you to read the text below in which we outline the research. After reading through this information, you can still decide to discontinue your participation in this study within 30 days following your conversation with the contact tracer.

Goal of the project

This study investigates how the telephone conversations that are carried out for Covid-19 contact tracing in Flanders take form and in which manners we can improve these telephone conversations. For this purpose, we audio record such conversations and submit these to fine-grained interactional analysis. The research aims to optimize contact tracing (given the negative perception and reports of Covid-19 contact tracing in the media). The project thus contributes to the collective interest of public health, confidence in the manner in which the government combats the pandemic, and the effectiveness of contact tracing. Your voluntary participation thus contributes to the combatting and containment of the Covid-19 pandemic in Flanders.

Why have I been chosen?

You were recently contacted by a Covid-19 contact tracer over telephone in name of the Flemish Agency of Care and Health and you verbally agreed to partake in this study.

What does participation in this study entail?

Partaking in this study entails that we audio record your telephone conversation with the contact tracer. Following the conversation, some optional questions are asked regarding your profile (age, gender, degree of education and job/career).

What are the possible disadvantages or risks related to participation in this study?

There are no possible disadvantages or risks related to your participation.

Can I postpone or withdraw my participation?

You have the right to discontinue your participation in the study at any given time. You do not have to motivate discontinuing your participation. You can, if you wish, also always contact prof. dr. Stef Slembrouck (use the contact form) for further information. After reading this information letter, you can still decide to withdraw your participation in this study. Withdrawing your participation is possible until 30 days following your contact tracing telephone conversation.

What are the possible benefits of participating in this study?

There are no direct benefits for you as an individual. Our goal is to optimize contact tracing conversations in Flanders. On the basis of the findings, we will make recommendations for practice. As such, we aim to support good care and support in the combating and containment of the Covid-19 pandemic. Your voluntary participation thus directly contributes to the combatting of Covid-19 in Flanders.

Are there costs associated with participation?

Your participation in the study does not come with any costs for you.

Am I required to participate?

Your participation in this study is strictly voluntary and you have the right to refuse participation. At any time, you have the possibility to either participate in the study or to discontinue your participation. In case you would change or have changed your mind on this matter, contact prof. dr. Stef Slembrouck (use the contact form).

Confidentiality

In accordance with the Belgian law of 8 December 1992 and the Belgian law of 22 August 2002, we respect your personal privacy. If the results of the study are published, your identity will remain confidential information. If desired, the Data Protection Officer can provide you with more information concerning the protection of your personal information. Contact information: Ms. Hanne Elsen, tel: +32 9 264 95 17 or privacy@ugent.be, Campus Ufo, Rectoraat 2, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 25, 9000 Gent.

All gathered data will be encrypted and stored on a UGent server in a file that is password-protected. The personal data we gather will be pseudonymized. This means that the audio recording of the conversation will be transcribed by the researchers in a written out text format in which all elements and references by which somebody could identify you (for example your name) are deleted. All participants in the study receive a unique number instead of this personal data. Moreover, measures are taken to prevent indirect identification (for example by deletion of very unique elements which you mentioned in the conversation, such as the names of colleagues, the name of the city in which you live, etc.). In addition, the audio recording of the conversation will only be shared with the UGent and UAntwerp researchers within the FWO project Effective information exchange and care orientation in Covid-19- related contact tracing phone calls. An applied sociolinguistic and conversation analytic enquiry into optimizing interactional dynamics and pragmatic awareness” and thus not with any third party.

What will happen with the data?

We aim to optimize contact tracing conversations and by analyzing the collected conversations provide recommendations to optimize practice. To realize this aim, we will report our results to other researchers and policymakers by means of publications in academic journals and conference participations. We will also compose a training module on the basis of our findings for the contact tracers working in call centers. In addition, we will make public the results through lectures and media contributions. All participant information will me anonymized in the publishing or dissemination of the study.

The audio recordings of the conversations will be written out word by word and the electronic versions (transcriptions) will be saved at Ghent University on a server that is password-protected. The transcriptions will be pseudonymized as much as possible. This means that all information by which you could be identified (for example your name, workplace, location, job) will be deleted. Printed documents will be stored in a locked cabinet at all times. The detailed transcription (with interactional elements) will look as follows (fictional ):

 

At the end of the study, all audio recordings will be destroyed and the pseudonymized transcriptions will be stored for a period of five years. The pseudonymized transcriptions may be reused for other research purposes at a later stage. We hereby guarantee the same careful handling of the data provided as was the case for the initial collection.

Who can access my data?

The research team has access to the recordings and the transcriptions. In case the pseudonymized transcriptions are used for follow-up research, all personal data and all information that could possibly be traced back to you will be left out of the transcriptions. In this manner we ensure that nobody will be able to determine participants’ identities by means of the transcribed conversations.

Can I look into the study’s results?

If you wish, you can receive a copy of the summary of the study’s results. The person responsible for processing of the data is prof. dr. Stef Slembrouck (use the contact form) .

Who organizes and funds this research?

The research is funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). For more information, see https://www.fwo.be/en/

The research team includes:

  • dr. Stef Slembrouck (Ghent University)
  • Dr. Mieke Vandenbroucke (University of Antwerp)
  • Dr. Hilde Bastiaens (University of Antwerp)
  • Dr. Robert Colenbunders (University of Antwerp)
  • Tina Goethals (Universiteit Gent)
  • Dirk Wildemeersch (Flemish Agency of Care & Health)
  • Elien Colman (University of Antwerp)
  • Sofie Van de Geuchte (Ghent University)
  • Romeo De Timmerman (Ghent university)
  • Anne-Sophie Bafort (University of Antwerp)

Who approved of this study?

This study was approved by the Ethical Commission of the faculty of Arts and Philosophy. In no case should you consider the approval of this commission as incentive for partaking in this study.

Contact for further information:

Prof. dr. Stef Slembrouck

Department of Linguistics, LW06, Ghent University

stef.slembrouck@ugent.be, tel. 0476-681940

or use the contact form