Table 5 Illustrative quotes related to PHPs’ needs regarding the application and development of DCTS-tools for CT

Flexible integration of DCTS-tools in the traditional CT-process

“Of course, you are going to go over it [data provided by a case in the contact identification stage] to validate or verify it. Also, because the person may have forgotten something, or may remember something during the conversation. I would find it wrong to leave it to that person completely.” PHS-nurse, male, early-30’s.

“You could also split it up, that people inform some contacts and PHS the others. I can imagine that people don’t mind telling their own family. But colleagues at work might be a bit more difficult. You could just have the PHS tell those if people don’t want to.” PHS-doctor, male, late-50’s.

“Sometimes we cannot quickly inform all contacts, sometimes you can’t reach people. So, you can use it as an addition, that people have the information relatively soon and know what is expected of them. But that you still contact them to assess the specific situation and check if everything is clear.” PHS-nurse, female, late-20’s.

“Maybe this would free up some time to provide a more tailored approach. That you can continue to call people [in the contact monitoring stage] who want to get called, and let people fill out an app if they want to fill out an app.” PHS-doctor, female, late-30’s.

Opportunities for automatic data transfer between DCTS-tools and PHS case-management software

“I think nobody is looking forward to a stand-alone system that requires you to move information back and forth between records. That’s prone to errors, of course. So, if possible, an automatic connection seems ideal to me.” PHS-nurse, female, early-30’s.

“In the current situation, we don’t even have time to identify all the contacts. But if this is automated, the quality of CT could improve. This would be very useful when there are many infections and it’s very busy, because it’s good to collect that data anyways.” PHS-doctor, female, late-30’s.

Usage indications and communication through DCTS-tools

“You lose some oversight about whether or not people are informed, do people have symptoms? Maybe, with all digital opportunities, you can let people tick a few boxes to indicate to us ‘I have read this, I know what to do, I have symptoms yes or no’. That way you still have some feedback.” PHS-nurse, female, early-30’s.

“People like the feeling that there is a PHP behind all this who can advise them when they have questions. So, I think that is something you need to offer, that someone can contact a PHP very low-key, maybe even directly through these digital applications.” PHS-doctor, female, late-30’s.

Easy to use and low-effort DCTS-tools

“It should just be user friendly, also considering elderly people and people who are less digitally skilled, who have less language skills. So, think about the language level you use and have other languages available. It should also work on older devices, you know, those kinds of things.” PHS-doctor, male, late-50’s.

“It should just not be a complex and very different system for us [PHPs]. I have noticed that people are reaching their digital limits, with all the systems we have to use for all sorts of different things.” PHS-nurse, female, early 50’s.

Adequate data security and privacy protection

“I think that the security and protection of people’s personal data is crucial, that needs to be guaranteed if you want to implement this [DCTS-tools].” PHS-nurse, male, early-30’s.