Qualitative Insights on COVID-19 Curriculum Dissemination

For in-depth interviews, the research team selected a purposive sample of learners (N=12) across health professions from different regions globally. Because the course series was designed for community-based health workers, sampling focused on identifying health professionals with experience using and sharing course content as part of community-based pandemic responses.
The study considered the following learners for recruitment: (1) learners who indicated that they had shared course content with others in their network in a voluntary follow-up course satisfaction survey (administered by the consortium in December 2020; N=112); (2) learners in a community-based health worker role or in a supervisory role in a position to share information with community-based health workers (ie, doctors, nurses, health worker trainers/supervisors, and technical assistance providers) and at an organization with more than one enrollee in the course series; and (3) learners holding an educator role at a higher education institution with more than one enrollee in the course series. Learners who indicated that they did not consent to be contacted further in the follow-up course satisfaction survey were excluded from recruitment.
A total of 119 learners met the purposive sampling criteria and were recruited to participate via email in the study. Learners were sent an introductory recruitment email, and those who did not respond to the initial email were sent several follow-up email requests. Fourteen learners responded with willingness to participate in an in-depth interview (11.8% response rate). The research team was able to schedule in-depth interviews with a sample of 12 of these learners and made efforts to ensure representation across geographic regions and from LMICs. No additional recruitment was deemed necessary as the research team determined saturation was achieved.
As illustrated in Table 1, the 12 interview participants represented a diversity of geographic regions, with 42% (5/12) from Sub-Saharan Africa, followed by 25% (3/12) from North America and 25% (3/12) from South/Southeast Asia. Half (6/12, 50%) of the interviewed learners identified as female. The majority of interviewed learners (7/12, 58%) indicated affiliation with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The remaining interviewed learners held roles in governments (2/12, 17%), academic institutions (2/12, 17%), or intergovernmental organizations (1/12, 8%). Interviewed learners were doctors (3/12, 25%), health worker trainers or supervisors (3/12, 25%), community-based health workers (2/12, 17%), technical assistance providers (2/12, 17%), or educators (2/12, 17%). All were involved in community-based COVID-19 response activities, with nearly all (10/12, 83%) involved in risk communication and community engagement.
The 12 in-depth interviews were conducted one-on-one in English via videoconference by 2 investigators (NAS and NJ) using a semistructured interview guide. The interviewers asked learners about their experiences with the curriculum and their roles in using, adapting, and disseminating the curriculum. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Interviews lasted between 20 and 57 minutes, with a mean duration of 38 minutes.