Is FIU’s P3 App Effective?
As part of Florida International University’s efforts to minimize the ongoing COVID-19 situation and efficiently keep students, faculty, and staff healthy and back on campus, FIU leaders have taken steps to ensure everyone is protected. On August 17, 2020, FIU launched the Panthers Protecting Panthers (FIU P3) app. The FIU P3 app is a COVID-19 symptom screening questionnaire that calculates whether a user is safe to come on campus or recommends staying home, monitoring symptoms, or seeking medical attention based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. FIU’s administration strongly advocates for the completion of the questionnaire by everyone before coming onto campus. However, unlike the university’s population covid-19 testing and vaccination numbers, there is an absence of data on the usage of the FIU P3 app.
Polarizing individual attitudes and behaviors regarding the pandemic have contributed to growing social and political divides. Anti-mask behavior, anti-vaccine beliefs, and general Covid-19 denial have discouraged many from participating in FIU’s Panthers Protecting Panthers initiatives. Because data is absent, there is no way to compare how many users fulfill the questionnaire versus the actual population on campus. There is also no way to identify how many users were suggested to stay home yet arrived on campus. The visibility of the FIU P3 app data is essential to give the public the necessary information to keep the university’s community safe.
FIU offers extensive data about COVID-19 testing and vaccination that happens daily on campus. However, there is little information about the data the P3 app collects every day. FIU only has a general P3 app page with information regarding how the app works and how often it should be used. The P3 app excuses the lack of shared data by stating, “The group that may see the full screening data will be the COVID Response Team if required…” But the P3 app page also states that “The app will also be used as a tool to educate and inform our FIU community on COVID-19.” How can that be done without any shared data?
Concerned over the lack of data, we were inspired to conduct a week-long preliminary survey with a few FIU students. Though our findings are not conclusive, they do illuminate the need for accessible data. Out of 19 student survey respondents, two were unaware of the app, and eleven admitted that they only complete the P3 app questionnaire sometimes. Fourteen were concerned that fellow students do not participate in the P3 app or do not stay home while exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Fifteen would like to know how many users fill out the P3 app questionnaire every day and how many were advised to stay home. One respondent said the community would be safer if the P3 questionnaire was required rather than suggested. Another commented that it’s easy to lie, and many students might not follow the app’s guidelines.
Other institutions such as the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and Miami Dade College do not have an app similar to the FIU P3 app. So far, we have only found that Florida State University has a similar app called “Daily Wellness Check,” but it is only available through a portal for FSU employees. On August 28, 2020, they shared that 11,806 members of the FSU community have used the app since it launched on August 12. However, this shared information is outdated. So far, FIU seems to be taking the lead in screening COVID-19 symptoms for staff, students, and visitors, but that does not hide the fact that there is no available data.
Although FIU is open about testing results, almost all of the participants in our quick survey would like to know how many students complete the symptom screening questionnaire. A large number of negative results can bring peace to the community at FIU, but we do not know how many people who reported symptoms genuinely get tested. By comparing the number of people who recorded COVID-19 symptoms in the P3 app to how many get tested, we can also gather influential data on whether staff and students feel comfortable and encouraged to get tested on campus and protect our community to prevent further spread of the virus.
