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During outbreaks of communicable diseases such as COVID-19, measles, whooping cough, and influenza, contact tracing (CT) plays an important role in preventing further transmission. Through CT, public health services (PHS) identify individuals who have been in contact with an infected person (referred to as a ‘case’), so they can be informed about their potential risk and the measures they need to take.

In practice, it can be challenging for PHS to conduct CT quickly and thoroughly enough to effectively interrupt transmission - especially during large-scale outbreaks. This is because CT can be a complex, time-consuming, and labor-intensive process. One possible solution may be to involve cases and their contacts more actively in the CT process - for example, in identifying, informing, or monitoring contacts. We refer to this as ‘self-led CT’.

We investigated how public health professionals (PHPs) and citizens in the Netherlands view self-led CT. We explored whether and why they would (or would not) be willing to participate, and what they would need in order to do so. Our research shows that most PHPs and citizens have a positive attitude toward self-led CT, for example because it can be faster and more efficient than conventional CT. However, this depends strongly on the circumstances in which CT is performed. Both PHPs and citizens emphasized the importance of providing support to cases and contacts in complex situations, and of ensuring strong privacy protections.

Based on our findings, we recommend a flexible approach. Some individuals are both willing and able to participate in self-led CT. Others - such as cases with many or vulnerable contacts - may require more assistance from PHPs. Striking the right balance between digital support and personal guidance is essential in this regard.