September 24, 2020

Utility of Repeat Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Testing and Refinement of Diagnostic Stewardship Strategies at a Tertiary Care Academic Center in a Low-Prevalence Area of the United States

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): testing

• Among 660 patients with at least 2 nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests collected on different days in a low prevalence area of Wisconsin, only 6 (0.9%) negative-to-positive conversions were detected. All 6 were outpatient persons under investigation (PUI) for suspected COVID-19. Overall, 29.6% of repeat PUI testing and 31.4% of repeat asymptomatic screens should not have been performed based on institutional guidance, with the most common reason being provider judgement.

Lepak et al. (Aug 27, 2020). Utility of Repeat Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Testing and Refinement of Diagnostic Stewardship Strategies at a Tertiary Care Academic Center in a Low-Prevalence Area of the United States. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa388