Buckle, P, Micocci, M, Tulloch, J et al. (9 more authors) (2021) COVID-19 point-of-care testing in care homes: what are the lessons for policy and practice? Age and Ageing. afab101. ISSN 0002-0729
Abstract
COVID-19 has devastated care homes. Point of care tests (POCTs), mainly using Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs), have been deployed hurriedly without much consideration of their usability or impact on care workflow. Even after the pandemic POCTs, particularly multiplex tests, may be an important control against spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections in care homes by enabling identification of cases. They should not, however, replace other infection control measures such as barrier methods and quarantine. Adherence to LFDs as implemented among care home staff is suboptimal. Other tests—such as point of care polymerase chain reaction and automated antigen tests—would also need to be accommodated into care home workflows to improve adherence. The up-front costs of POCTs are straightforward but additional costs, including staffing preparation and reporting processes and the impacts of false positive and negative tests on absence rates and infection days, are more complex and as yet unquantified. A detailed appraisal is needed as the future of testing in care homes is considered.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. This is an author produced version of an article published in Age and Ageing. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | COVID-19; Care Homes; Nursing Homes; Point of care testing; older people |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Healthcare (Leeds) > Nursing Adult (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NIHR National Inst Health Research Not Known |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 02 Jun 2021 14:58 |
Last Modified: | 12 May 2022 00:38 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/ageing/afab101 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:174523 |