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The RT-PCR test to detect coronavirus RNA 2 they have a sensitivity and analytical specificity of over 95%. To be on the safe side, new tests should be accompanied by other tests, in addition to a consistent clinical and radiological picture.
Moreover, these are tested under idealized conditions with samples from hospitals with higher viral loads than those from the rest of asymptomatic people. Therefore, the operating performance of the hisopados may differ considerably in terms of analytical sensitivity and specificity.
False negatives have come under intense scrutiny within the medical community, due to the devastating consequences of undetected cases in health and social care settings. This leads to the spread of the epidemic, especially in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients. According to the medical journal The Lancet, a systematic review reported false negative rates of between 2% and 33% when testing repeated samples.
Regarding the false positives According to the report presented, it is estimated that the rate could be between 0.8% and 4.0%. This rate could translate into a significant share of results false positives daily due to the current low prevalence of the virus in the population, which would negatively affect the positive predictive value of the test, ”explains Elena Surkova, team leader at Royal Brompton Hospital, and Harefield National Health Service Foundation Trust in London. published his research in The Lancet. The possible disruption to health and social services due to false positives could be substantial.
Why are false positive results returned?
Technical issues, including contamination during sampling (for example, a swab accidentally touches a contaminated glove or surface), contamination PCR, contamination of reagents, cross contamination of the sample, and cross-reactions with other viruses or genetic material could also be responsible for the results. false positives.
Potential consequences of false positive COVID-19 swab test results
From an individual point of view
Health related
- For swab tests performed for screening purposes prior to elective procedures or surgeries: unnecessary cancellation or postponement of treatment.
- For swab tests performed for screening purposes during urgent hospital admissions: Potential exposure to infection by following incorrect route in hospital.
Financial
- Financial losses related to self-isolation, loss of income, and canceled trips, among other factors.
Psychological
- Psychological damage due to misdiagnosis or fear of infecting others, isolation or stigma
Global perspective
Financial
- Wasted funding (often from taxpayers) and human resources for testing and monitoring.
Unnecessary tests
- Funding of replacements in the workplace.
Various business losses
- Epidemiological and diagnostic performances.
Overestimation of incidence of COVID-19 and extent of asymptomatic infection
- Misleading diagnostic performance, which can lead to poor buying or investment decisions if a new test shows high performance in identifying negative as positive reference samples (i.e., it is false positive or that the test shows a higher sensitivity than other tests used for the negativity of the test sample?).
Societal
- Policy gap regarding school closures and school closures.
- Increased depression and domestic violence (eg. Due to detention, isolation and loss of income after a positive test).
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