Positive Impact of a Point-of-Care Molecular Influenza Test in the Emergency Department During the 2017-2018 Seasonal Influenza Epidemic

Martin Martinot; Valentin Greigert; Simon Gravier; Stephane Klein; Magali Eyriey; Anne Pachart; Jean-Daniel Kaiser; Mahsa Mohseni Zadeh; Dominique De Briel; Yannick Gottwalles; Eric Thibaud

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz312

Positive Impact of a Point-of-Care Molecular Influenza Test in the Emergency Department During the 2017-2018 Seasonal Influenza Epidemic

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019 Jul 1;6(7):ofz312. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz312.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Department Medecine E, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France.
² Parasitology Department, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France.
³ Clinical Research Department Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France.
⁴ Pharmacy Department, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France.
⁵ Microbiology Department, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France.
⁶ Emergency Department, Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, Colmar, France.

Abstract

During the 2017-2018 flu epidemic, the point-of-care Alere-i (n = 72) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (n = 106) tests were compared. Patients in the point-of-care group were administered oseltamivir significantly more rapidly (9 hours vs 23 hours), they spent less time in the emergency department, and they had lower rates of antibiotic administration and hospitalization.

Keywords: influenza; nucleic-acid amplification test; oseltamivir; point of care; seasonal flu.