A dynamic duo to listen to your needs

Nacira El Merjani and Patrick Bleich make up the participant support team at the Specchio-COVID19 platform. Every day, they answer participants' questions, book appointments for serology tests, provide guidance and reassurance and much more.

Here's a look at their day-to-day work.

A well-oiled machine

The day always begins with the same rituals. Check the answering machines, open One Doc (the appointment booking software), get a good cup of coffee and be ready to answer the first calls.

Then it's time to read the messages that participants have received via the platform since the previous day. The aim is to read them and then sort them so as to respond as quickly as possible, according to the degree of urgency. You also need to identify which messages need to be forwarded to the experts to provide the most precise and helpful response possible. For specific medical questions, for example, the team doctor will provide support. The same goes for technical questions, for which the data manager will be called in.

Continuous adaptation

"At the start of the pandemic, we were all novices, ourselves and the participants. We took part in regular internal meetings with Prof. Silvia Stringhini, head of the Epidemiology Unit. of the Population Epidemiology Unit (UEP) at the HUGexplained Nacira. Today, these meetings are still held regularly to keep abreast of the latest developments, and to discuss participants' frequently asked questions so that we can help people as best we can. "Our role often goes further than making appointments or answering questions about the platform. People worry or ask for advice about the disease. We have to be able to respond or redirect them correctly, either to their doctor or to the COVID-19 hotline in the canton, for example. It's a responsibility!" stresses Patrick. One of the key messages to emerge from the discussions is that, whatever the serology results or vaccination status, the barrier measures must continue to be applied.

So we need to adapt regularly to meet the needs of the participants, but also in the way we work. The UEP has literally transformed itself to advance knowledge about COVID-19 in Geneva. It has been able to evolve its way of working over the weeks so as to be ever more effective. Nacira and Patrick are involved in these changes from a logistical, IT and organisational point of view. As Nacira says with a smile, "we're becoming a better version of ourselves".

We've forged a bond with some of the participants with whom we've been in contact since the beginning, and all these exchanges have been rich, demonstrating the complexity of this pandemic.

Rich exchanges

It is now a year since the first study (SEROCoV-POP) was launched, and 7 months since the Specchio-COVD19 platform became active. "We've forged a bond with some of the participants with whom we've been in contact since the beginning, and all these exchanges are rich and show the complexity of this pandemic," explains Nacira, who is delighted when someone even takes the time for a little joke. Proud to be at the heart of the fight against Covid-19, our pair are on the front line, listening and feeling out the impressions and needs of the population during this unprecedented period. Even when some people are unhappy, their empathy is unfailing. The most important thing for them is never to say "we don't know"!

• If you have any questions, don't forget to consult the FAQ page, which is updated regularly.