Service Delivery

Creating an Automated Health Attestation System During the COVID-19 Pandemic with Microsoft 365.

Dubuque et al. (2020) · Behavior analysis in practice 2020
★ The Verdict

Use free Microsoft 365 tools to run a touch-free COVID-19 health check that documents itself.

✓ Read this if BCBAs who run center-based programs and need a fast, paper-free way to meet health-screening rules.
✗ Skip if Clinics already using paid apps that auto-screen and track symptoms.

01Research in Context

01

What this study did

The authors built a daily COVID-19 health form in Microsoft 365. Staff and visitors answer a few yes-no questions on their phone before entering the clinic.

The form logs each answer and time-stamps it. No paper, no close contact, no extra staff time.

02

What they found

The paper is a how-to guide. It does not give patient data or staff infection rates. It simply shows every click you need to copy the system.

03

How this fits with other research

Dallery et al. (2015) said digital tools can turn ABA principles into large-scale health programs. Heald et al. (2020) is the next step: a free, ready-to-copy template.

Foti et al. (2015) and Schieltz et al. (2020) also give tech set-up guides, but for telehealth FA/FCT. The same careful scripting applies here—only the goal changes from teaching kids to screening germs.

Nicola et al. (2018) proved remote tools can collect valid clinical data. Their webcam MABC-2 scores matched in-person ones. Heald et al. (2020) uses the same trust in remote entry, just for health instead of motor skills.

04

Why it matters

You can build the form in one afternoon. Share the link with staff, families, and contractors. You get instant documentation for licensing visits and protect clients who may not wear masks well. Copy the flow chart, swap the questions, and you can screen for flu, RSV, or any future bug without buying new software.

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→ Action — try this Monday

Open Microsoft Forms, copy the paper’s five-question template, and text the link to your staff group chat.

02At a glance

Intervention
not applicable
Design
methodology paper
Finding
not reported

03Original abstract

Identifying and isolating individuals infected with COVID-19 are critical steps in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Until widespread testing and contact tracing systems are implemented, alternative methods must be considered. One way that organizations can protect employees and clients is by creating their own automated health attestation systems. These systems could be used to reduce the spread of the coronavirus by asking providers and consumers to self-identify COVID-19 exposure, as well as to help mitigate liability for organizations by asking providers and consumers to agree to follow relevant policies and acknowledge the risks inherent in providing or receiving services. The purpose of this article is to outline the steps for creating this type of health attestation system using Microsoft Office 365.

Behavior analysis in practice, 2020 · doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30845-X