The more the merrier! Barriers and facilitators to the general public’s use of a COVID-19 contact tracing app in New Zealand

Gasteiger, Norina; Gasteiger, Chiara; Vedhara, Kavita; Broadbent, Elizabeth

Abstract

Contact tracing for infectious diseases can be partially automated using mobile applications. However, the success of these tools is dependent on significant uptake and frequent use by the public. This study explored the barriers and facilitators to the New Zealand (NZ) general public’s use of the COVID-19 contact NZ COVID Tracer app. Adults (≥18 years, N = 373) in NZ. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from a nation-wide online survey. App use and frequency of use were presented as descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. 31% reported using the app frequently, 24% used it sometimes, 21% had installed but not used it, and 24% had not installed it. Barriers to use include technical issues, privacy and security concerns, forgetfulness and a lack of support from businesses. The perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, government recommendations and communications, and the importance of contact tracing facilitated use. Technical, user, business, and government factors influenced the public’s use of a COVID-19 contact tracing app. The development of apps requiring minimal user effort and initial user testing may improve uptake. Enabling environments and better risk communication may improve uptake of similar community-driven contact tracing apps during future pandemics.

Citation

Gasteiger, N., Gasteiger, C., Vedhara, K., & Broadbent, E. (2022). The more the merrier! Barriers and facilitators to the general public’s use of a COVID-19 contact tracing app in New Zealand. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 47(2), 132-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538157.2021.1951274

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 30, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jul 14, 2021
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 20, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 15, 2022
• Journal: Informatics for Health and Social Care
• Print ISSN: 1753-8157
• Electronic ISSN: 1753-8165
• Publisher: Informa UK Limited
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 47
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 132-143
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17538157.2021.1951274
• Keywords: Health Information Management; Nursing (miscellaneous); Health Informatics
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5809580
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17538157.2021.1951274
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Informatics for Health and Social Care. Norina Gasteiger, Chiara Gasteiger, Kavita Vedhara & Elizabeth Broadbent (2021) The more the merrier! Barriers and facilitators to the general public’s use of a COVID-19 contact tracing app in New Zealand, Informatics for Health and Social Care. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.