The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool
The emergency department (ED) is the initial point of contact between hospital staff and patients potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2, thus, prevention of inadvertent exposure to other patients is a top priority. We aimed to assess whether the introduction of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic test...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/284 |
| _version_ | 1797619151790931968 |
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| author | Lilac Meltzer Sharon Amit Mayan Gilboa Ilana Tal Bella Mechnik Avi Irony Hindi Engelrad Avi Epstein Yael Frenkel-Nir Yuval Levy Yitshak Kreiss Gili Regev-Yochay |
| author_facet | Lilac Meltzer Sharon Amit Mayan Gilboa Ilana Tal Bella Mechnik Avi Irony Hindi Engelrad Avi Epstein Yael Frenkel-Nir Yuval Levy Yitshak Kreiss Gili Regev-Yochay |
| author_sort | Lilac Meltzer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The emergency department (ED) is the initial point of contact between hospital staff and patients potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2, thus, prevention of inadvertent exposure to other patients is a top priority. We aimed to assess whether the introduction of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) to the ED affected the likelihood of unwanted SARS-CoV-2 exposures. In this retrospective single-center study, we compared the rate of unwarranted exposure of uninfected adult ED patients to SARS-CoV-2 during two separate research periods; one before Ag-RDTs were introduced, and one with Ag-RDT used as a decision-support tool. The introduction of Ag-RDTs to the ED significantly decreased the relative risk of SARS-CoV-2-negative patients being incorrectly assigned to the COVID-19 designated site (“red ED”), by 97%. There was no increase in the risk of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients incorrectly assigned to the COVID-19-free site (“green ED”). In addition, duration of ED admission was reduced in both the red and the green ED. Therefore, implementing the Ag-RDT-based triage protocol proved beneficial in preventing potential COVID-19 nosocomial transmission. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:24:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4de2c010e8444ac689c79d5898395a41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:24:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-4de2c010e8444ac689c79d5898395a412023-11-16T22:13:46ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072023-01-0111228410.3390/microorganisms11020284The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support ToolLilac Meltzer0Sharon Amit1Mayan Gilboa2Ilana Tal3Bella Mechnik4Avi Irony5Hindi Engelrad6Avi Epstein7Yael Frenkel-Nir8Yuval Levy9Yitshak Kreiss10Gili Regev-Yochay11Infection Control & Prevention Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelClinical Microbiology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelInfection Control & Prevention Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelInfection Control & Prevention Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelInfection Control & Prevention Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelSackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelEmergency Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelSackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelThe General Management, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelThe General Management, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelSackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelInfection Control & Prevention Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan 52621, IsraelThe emergency department (ED) is the initial point of contact between hospital staff and patients potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2, thus, prevention of inadvertent exposure to other patients is a top priority. We aimed to assess whether the introduction of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) to the ED affected the likelihood of unwanted SARS-CoV-2 exposures. In this retrospective single-center study, we compared the rate of unwarranted exposure of uninfected adult ED patients to SARS-CoV-2 during two separate research periods; one before Ag-RDTs were introduced, and one with Ag-RDT used as a decision-support tool. The introduction of Ag-RDTs to the ED significantly decreased the relative risk of SARS-CoV-2-negative patients being incorrectly assigned to the COVID-19 designated site (“red ED”), by 97%. There was no increase in the risk of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients incorrectly assigned to the COVID-19-free site (“green ED”). In addition, duration of ED admission was reduced in both the red and the green ED. Therefore, implementing the Ag-RDT-based triage protocol proved beneficial in preventing potential COVID-19 nosocomial transmission.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/284COVID-19SARS-CoV-19antigenrapid testsemergency departmenttriage |
| spellingShingle | Lilac Meltzer Sharon Amit Mayan Gilboa Ilana Tal Bella Mechnik Avi Irony Hindi Engelrad Avi Epstein Yael Frenkel-Nir Yuval Levy Yitshak Kreiss Gili Regev-Yochay The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool Microorganisms COVID-19 SARS-CoV-19 antigen rapid tests emergency department triage |
| title | The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool |
| title_full | The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool |
| title_fullStr | The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool |
| title_short | The Use of Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Test in the Emergency Department as a Decision-Support Tool |
| title_sort | use of rapid covid 19 antigen test in the emergency department as a decision support tool |
| topic | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-19 antigen rapid tests emergency department triage |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/284 |
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