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Purpose

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a worldwide pandemic that has resulted in large-scale quarantines in cities, states, and countries throughout the world. SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that is most commonly spread via contact with infective respiratory droplets and aerosols produced by coughing, sneezing, talking, and singing. Children with medical complexity (CMC), i.e., children with multiple severe chronic conditions, high resource use, severe functional limitations, and substantial family-identified service needs, are a medically vulnerable population for the development of severe COVID-19. Deciding to send CMC to school poses a major dilemma to families wanting to minimize severe COVID-19 risk. School personnel also face risks when CMC attend school. Despite these challenges, achieving in-person school attendance is critical for CMC. Compared to non-CMC, academic and social development for most CMC hinges on being at school. Severe intellectual and developmental disability impairs one's ability to engage with online platforms. Health-promoting services delivered at school, e.g., physical, occupational, and speech therapy, are likely less effective when delivered virtually. Parents of CMC, already disproportionately unemployed due to their child's care needs, experience added employment strain when their child is out of school. The study objective is to increase the safe return to school for CMC by 1) evaluating the feasibility of school-based COVID-19 testing strategies and 2) identifying parent and staff perceptions of testing and school attendance. A related study (ReSET Aim 1a, NCT04895085) will evaluate the same factors in home-based testing strategies in CMC exclusively.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Parents and staff must be at least 18 years of age. - Staff must have a classroom role (e.g., teacher, aide, playground assistant) - Parents and staff must be proficient in English. - Parents and staff must have access to a web-enabled device (phone, tablet, or computer). - Staff, parent and child must be residents of Wisconsin. - Parent/child must be enrolled at WECP for the 2021 and/or 2022 school year.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Failure to meet all inclusion criteria

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Non-Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
This is a single site study taking place over 24 months and involving (65) caregivers and their children, and (50) school staff.
Primary Purpose
Health Services Research
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
School Staff 		50 school staff from Waisman Early Childhood Program (WECP) will be recruited to participate in this study. School staff will send a letter to all WECP staff inviting them to participate. Staff new to the school or who initially decline participation and then reconsider may join at any time. Additionally, staff who are vaccinated will be asked to participate in testing.
  • Diagnostic Test: BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen System
    BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen System (Abbott) is a point-of-care, lateral flow immunoassay intended for the qualitative detection of nucleocapsid protein antigen from SARS-CoV-2 in direct anterior nasal (nares) swabs. Internal controls are built into the testing system and results are available in 15 minutes. The use of the BinaxNOW system is authorized under the Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorization. The test is allowed for over-the-counter, non-prescription use with or without symptoms. The test may be used with children two years and older with the help of sample collection by an adult, and the test may be self-administered by anyone aged 15 years or more.
Experimental
Parent/Child with Children with medical complexity (CMC) 		65 children and their parents will be recruited to participate. School staff will send a letter to all parents with children enrolled in the Waisman Early Childhood Program (WECP) inviting them to participate. Families new to the school or who initially decline participation and then reconsider may join at any time. Participants will also be offered the option of as needed symptomatic home testing. Additionally, parents who are vaccinated will be asked to participate in testing. Siblings may be enrolled in the study.
  • Diagnostic Test: BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen System
    BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen System (Abbott) is a point-of-care, lateral flow immunoassay intended for the qualitative detection of nucleocapsid protein antigen from SARS-CoV-2 in direct anterior nasal (nares) swabs. Internal controls are built into the testing system and results are available in 15 minutes. The use of the BinaxNOW system is authorized under the Food and Drug Administration's Emergency Use Authorization. The test is allowed for over-the-counter, non-prescription use with or without symptoms. The test may be used with children two years and older with the help of sample collection by an adult, and the test may be self-administered by anyone aged 15 years or more.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

NCT ID
NCT04899245
Status
Completed
Sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.