Group A strep: has point-of-care testing for primary care finally come of age?

[摘要] The recent outbreak of group A streptococcal infections in the UK190%,2 with potential to significantly improve clinical diagnosis and reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. We used the Abbott ID Now point-of-care testing system to test patients with a Centor score3 of 2 or 3, who might have received an immediate or deferred prescription: 43% of patients in this group tested negative, and therefore were not treated with antibiotics.Although the unit cost of each test is around £20 +VAT, the wider system savings in reduced time off work or school, reduced pressure on pharmacies and antibiotic supplies, and reduced number of patients re-presenting to primary or urgent care settings should prompt discussion of the use of point-of-care testing in the proposed respiratory hubs and in routine primary care.Notes Competing interestsRob Daniels works in an ENT clinic that took part in a trial of COVID-19 testing using Abbott ID Now technology, but was not paid for his part in this trial. At the beginning of the group A streptococcal pandemic his PCN received 48 free tests to try.

[学科分类] 卫生学