General Information:
*Note: The item was tested in German. This is an English translation of the original German wording.
Filter: If infection with SARS-CoV-2 has already been detected (Question 1 = “Yes“)
Question Text:
Did you have symptoms when you were infected with the coronavirus?
[Hatten Sie Symptome, als Sie mit dem Corona-Virus infiziert waren?]
Instruction:
INT: Read out answer options! [Antwortoptionen vorlesen!]
Answer Categories:
I had no symptoms [Ich hatte keine Symptome]
I had symptoms and was not treated or received an ambulatory treatment [Ich hatte Symptome und wurde nicht behandelt oder ich wurde ambulant behandelt]
I had symptoms and was hospitalized [Ich hatte Symptome und wurde stationär behandelt]
I had symptoms and received intensive medical treatment [Ich hatte Symptome und wurde intensiv-medizinisch behandelt]
Don't know [Weiß nicht]
No answer [Keine Angabe]
Recommendations:
The question is formulated in a way that it only asks about symptoms while the response categories additionally include information about the type of treatment. The results of the pretest show that respondents mainly refer to the treatment they received (or did not receive). From a questionnaire methodological point of view, we recommend splitting the question into two questions and asking first about the symptoms and then about the form of treatment:
Did you have symptoms when you were infected with the coronavirus?
If “Yes“: What medical treatment have you received for the symptoms?
- I was not treated
- I was treated as an outpatient
- I was treated as an inpatient
- I received intensive medical treatment
General Probing, Specific Probing
Findings for Question:
Intention of the question:
Question 3 is intended to capture the severity of one’s own coronavirus infection and (like question 2) is asked only to those respondents who indicated in question 1 that they had already been infected with the coronavirus.
Findings:
All four respondents who received the question in the pretest selected the second response category “I had symptoms and was not treated or received an ambulatory treatment”. The respondents explained that they had either not been treated at all or had only been treated ambulatory and had therefore correctly placed themselves in the answer category:
- “I took painkillers, though not large amounts. But other than that, I didn’t have any treatments.“
- “I had a fever and flu symptoms. And I only took Ibuprofen, that’s all the doctor prescribed. After four days it was over again. It came very suddenly and disappeared very fast.“
- “I wasn’t treated, I was quarantined at home.“
- “My PCR test was at a doctor’s office and they asked me how I was doing and if I needed anything. But I was actually feeling better the second day when I went to the PCR testing. It was just a day and a half where I was beat up. Other than that, I didn’t have any symptoms like cough, cold or anything like that. So I didn’t take anything and I didn’t need anything. Because of that, I didn’t really have any treatment.“
Question Topic:
Public health/ Health impairments
Construct:
Treatment of symptoms of the coronavirus disease
