Accuracy and Acceptance of a Self-Collection Model for Respiratory Tract Infection Diagnostics: A Concise Clinical Literature Review.
Thang T Nguyen, Wesley G Zeger, Michael C Wadman and 1 others
PMID 34530972WHAT IT FOUND
Self-collected nasal swabs for respiratory infections often matched professionally collected swabs, and most patients accepted self-swabbing.
Small studies and mail-in errors mean this does not prove faster emergency care or less nurse exposure.
Key findings
01Self-collected nasal swabs for respiratory testing showed diagnostic accuracy similar to professionally collected swabs, including pooled sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 99% for influenza.
02Most patients in the reviewed studies accepted self-collection, with reported rates of 88%, 84%, 99%, and 96%.
03Mail-in self-collection had practical errors: 23% of mailed specimens had packaging or shipping errors, and only 30% of participants reviewed instructions before collecting.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review was not registered prospectively and the authors said it was not a full systematic review, so some relevant studies may have been missed. Only 11 reviewable articles were included, and most were pilots or feasibility studies with small samples, so the evidence is not firm. There was no gold standard for comparing self-collected and professionally collected specimens, which can overestimate true sensitivity. The studies used different collection methods, specimen sites, symptom windows, countries, and resources, so the findings may not apply to every emergency department. Patients sometimes did not read instructions, and mailed specimens had packaging or shipping errors, which can affect real-world use.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The project was funded by a University of Nebraska Medical Center COVID Rapid Response Grant.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that self-collection reduces emergency department crowding, shortens length of stay, saves money, or protects nurses. The reviewed studies mainly measured diagnostic accuracy and patient acceptance, and the authors said the review was not a full systematic review.