Point of care molecular and antigen detection tests for COVID-19: current status and future prospects

William Stokes; Byron M Berenger; Allison A Venner; Vincent Deslandes; Julie L V Shaw

doi:10.1080/14737159.2022.2122712

Point of care molecular and antigen detection tests for COVID-19: current status and future prospects

Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2022 Aug;22(8):797-809. doi: 10.1080/14737159.2022.2122712. Epub 2022 Sep 14.

Authors

William Stokes^{1

2}, Byron M Berenger^{1

3}, Allison A Venner^{1

3}, Vincent Deslandes^{4

5

6}, Julie L V Shaw^{4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Alberta Precision Laboratories, Alberta, Canada.
² Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
³ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
⁴ Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratories Association, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁶ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

PMID: 36093682
DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2022.2122712

Abstract

Introduction: Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been critical to support and management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Point of care testing (POCT) for SARS-CoV-2 has been a widely used tool for detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Areas covered: POCT nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and rapid antigen tests (RATs) have been the most readily used POCT for SARS-CoV-2. Here, current knowledge on the utility of POCT NAATs and RATs for SARS-CoV-2 are reviewed and discussed alongside aspects of quality assurance factors that must be considered for successful and safe implementation of POCT.

Expert opinion: Use cases for implementation of POCT must be evidence based, regardless of the test used. A quality assurance framework must be in place to ensure accuracy and safety of POCT.

Keywords: COVID-19; POCT; SARS-CoV-2; laboratory oversight; quality assurance; rapid antigen test.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19* / diagnosis
Humans
Pandemics
Point-of-Care Systems
Point-of-Care Testing
SARS-CoV-2
Sensitivity and Specificity