Reaching Communities through the Design of Information Visualizations (ReDIVis) Toolbox for Return of COVID-19 Results (RCR)

The overall goal of Reaching Communities through the Design of Information Visualizations (ReDIVis) Toolbox for Return of COVID-19 Results (RCR) was to decrease health disparities related to COVID-19 by enabling widespread use of culturally congruent and health literate infographics to return the results of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic and antibody testing in a manner that supports comprehension of the results, informs decision-making, and motivates appropriate behaviors. In collaboration with a community partner, the Association to Benefit Children, mixed-methods research design was used to achieve the following specific aims: 1. Advance understanding of the factors that influence comprehension and use of the results of SARS- CoV-2 diagnostic and antibody testing in underserved and vulnerable populations. 2. Collaborate with underserved and vulnerable populations to design infographics for returning the results of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic and antibody testing in a format that maximizes comprehension, informs decision making, and motivates action. 3. Develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate the ReDIVis Toolbox for returning the results of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic and antibody testing. ReDIVis Toolbox-RCR builds upon substantial preliminary work in community engagement, lay-person science, system development and evaluation, and information visualization as well as existing infrastructure: (a) a research cohort of Latino adults, and (b) the Visualization Design Studio of the Precision in Symptom Self-Management Center. Informed by seven public health ethics principles, ReDIVis Toolbox-RCR research activities (focus groups, interviews, surveys, participatory design sessions, usability testing) resulted in the web-based ReDIVis Toolbox that includes: (a) infographics in English and Spanish for returning SARS-CoV-2 test results; (b) documents to support design, implementation, and evaluation of infographics; and (c) software to enable the creation of tailored culturally congruent and health literate infographics. Within the defined areas of research interests in NOT-OD-20-119, ReDIVis Toolbox-RCR directly responds to the need for SARS-CoV-2 test results templates and toolkits designed in collaboration with communities and strategies and resources to increase use and utility of test results. In addition, ReDIVis Toolbox-RCR research activities allowed for advanced understanding of the social, ethical, and behavioral implications of how test results are interpreted and used; specifically, how the results influence decision-making and COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (e.g., social distancing, self-isolation, mask wearing, and vaccination, when available). Moreover, this study involved interaction with other RADx-UP grantees to enhance the generalizability of the ReDIVis Toolbox.