![]() ![]() Results can be integrated automatically with hospital records which saves time and error by avoiding manual recording, and allows easy evaluation and audit. The run time is as little as 5 min for a positive result and 13 min for a negative result. ![]() The instrument uses dry nasal swabs, has a small footprint, is user-friendly and does not require additional equipment, making it ideal for use as a ‘near-patient’ test for EDs. The ID NOW COVID-19 assay (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, IL, USA) is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification test which targets the unique region of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene. Accurate near-patient testing plays a crucial role in triage and admission pathways, allowing prompt initiation of specific COVID-19 treatment and optimal use of bed capacity, as well as ensuring that other conditions can be managed effectively without the risk of nosocomial spread. Several rapid tests have emerged to allow the prompt diagnosis and triage of patients with COVID-19. Laboratory-based PCR results are therefore too slow to make isolation and treatment decisions in the ED. Sample transport, ribonucleic acid extraction, and result reporting add to the PCR turnaround time. The gold standard for diagnosis is reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from a nasopharyngeal swab, but even the fastest available assays have a run time ≥45 min and require laboratory-based technological expertise and equipment. Patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) with suspected or possible COVID-19 and an outstanding SARS-CoV-2 test must be isolated from other patients pending the result. Fast and effective triage is vital to the safe functioning of a hospital, and decisions to isolate patients at risk of COVID-19 must be rapid and accurate to ensure prompt treatment and maintain patient flow whilst minimising nosocomial spread. ![]() The symptoms of COVID-19 may be non-specific, and a diagnosis cannot be made or refuted based on clinical criteria and radiology alone. By the end of 2021, 640,829 patients had been admitted to hospital with COVID-19 across the UK, with a 7-day rolling average of 2183 daily admissions. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an acute respiratory viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to place a huge burden on secondary healthcare facilities. ![]()
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