Barriers to SARS-CoV-2 Testing among U.S. Employers in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis Conducted January through April 2021

Alberto J. Caban-Martinez (), Claudia Parvanta, Naciely Cabral, Cynthia K. Ball, Adrienne Eastlake, Jeffrey L. Levin, Kevin Moore, Dalia Nessim, Ernie Stracener, Matthew S. Thiese and Paul A. Schulte
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Alberto J. Caban-Martinez: Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
Claudia Parvanta: College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Naciely Cabral: College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Cynthia K. Ball: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75708, USA
Adrienne Eastlake: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
Jeffrey L. Levin: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75708, USA
Kevin Moore: Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Ferguson College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Dalia Nessim: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75708, USA
Ernie Stracener: Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Matthew S. Thiese: Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
Paul A. Schulte: Advance Technologies and Laboratories International, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-12

Abstract: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. companies were seeking ways to support their employees to return to the workplace. Nonetheless, the development of strategies to support the access, use, and interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 testing was challenging. In the present study, we explore, from the perspective of owners and company leadership, the barriers to SARS-CoV-2 testing among U.S. companies. Key informant interviews with company representatives were conducted during January–April 2021 about SARS-CoV-2 testing. A pre-interview survey assessed respondent socio-demographic and organizational characteristics. Interview sessions were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using MaxQDA. A total of twenty interviews were completed with at least two interviews conducted in each major U.S. industry sector. Ninety percent of participants represented companies in business >10 years, comprising both small and large workforces. Using a grounded theory approach, six themes emerged: (1) access to and knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 tests; (2) strategies for symptomatic and asymptomatic testing of workers; (3) type/availability of personal protective equipment to mitigate coronavirus exposures; (4) return-to-work policies; (5) guidance and communication of SARS-CoV-2 Testing; and (6) use of contact tracing and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Various modifiable and non-modifiable challenges for SARS-CoV-2 testing among U.S. companies were identified and can inform work-related SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; companies; organizations; testing; barriers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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