Flu Testing
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What are you using in your provider offices for flu testing? Pros and Cons?
Thank you!
Thank you!
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Pros: easy, quick (15 min), waived
Con: 3 minute incubation so the tester can't just put it on and walk away until after the 3 min window.
Con: Can only run one test at a time. If it's a high volume office, swabs can get backed up waiting to go on. ( I put multiple analyzers in each location)
Pro: can run Flu, Strep, Covid, RSV
In addition to Brandy's reply:
PRO: no lateral flow 'lines' to read and interpret (which our folks including providers continued to do even after we used a method with a 'reader'
PRO: we connected it through middleware to interface results into our EMR
CON: don't consider since it's an analyzer and waived complexity that the testing 'is fool proof'...ummm nope there are ways for operators to mess up.
CON: although we use the required cleaning products to clean them, it seems that we have to return more than I think we should have to related to the external housing showing damage/cracks. Also at the heating element/sample cup we get cracks.
CON: expense of the kits although if reimbursement is available it's a higher reimbursement
CON: to perform multiple patients since it's 1 patient and 1 test at a time, multiple instruments are used side by side - you'll have to consider there are 2 other pieces that use counter space (printer and scanner) to add to the foot print. In some testing sites, the foot print is not as much a problem for us as the # of cords and the electrical plug size and orientation to fit it into wall outlets or power cords, especially the 2 cords for the individual printers due to the size and length of those 2 cords (even though we bundle/band up the cords). We have worked out if the overhead cabinets are high enough from the counter top to do some shelving to create an additional level above the counter space. But watch out in buying shelving so it's stable enough to avoid movement and study enough to get the sufficient pressure during the 2 'pipetting' activities.