June 3, 2020

Rapid Point of Care Nucleic Acid Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitalised Patients a Clinical Trial and Implementation Study

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

• [pre-print, not peer reviewed] Collier et al. evaluated a point of care (POC) nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) (called the SAMBA II) for SARS-CoV-2. The sensitivity and specificity of SAMBA II were 96.9% and 99.1%, respectively, and the median time to test result was 2.6 hours. The authors also compared hospital outcomes associated with implementation of POC testing within a large teaching hospital, compared to the standard RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2. Implementation of the SAMBA II POC tests was associated with faster time to triage from the ED, release of isolation rooms, and avoidance of hospital bay closures. 

Collier et al. (June 2, 2020). Rapid Point of Care Nucleic Acid Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitalised Patients a Clinical Trial and Implementation Study. Preprint downloaded June 3 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.31.20114520