The purpose of the study is to compare Emergency Department patients who undergo influenza testing using an FDA-approved point-of-care device (Cobas Liat Influenza A/B assay) located in the ED, to patients whose samples are sent to the BMC central laboratory. Patients who agree to participate will have their samples randomly assigned to be tested on either at the core lab, or on the POC device. The current turnaround time for samples sent to the laboratory is approximately two hours; investigators expect that the point of care device can reduce this time. Investigators will determine if the time to disposition and the administration of antibiotics is different in the group undergoing POC influenza testing compared to those undergoing laboratory-based influenza testing
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
233
For patients randomized to the Core Lab Testing Arm, ED physicians will order an influenza test to be performed in the core lab.
For patients randomized to the ED Point of Care Testing Arm, the Research Assistant will perform influenza testing in the Emergency Department, using the Cobas Liat Influenza A/B assay
Boston University Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Time to Disposition
The time elapsed from when a patient was placed in the ED treatment room until the disposition (either admit, observe, or discharge) was ordered in the medical record
Time frame: By the End of the ED visit (an average time of 4 hours)
Delivery of prescription or administration of antibiotics
Whether patients either received a dose of antibiotics in the ED or received a prescription for antibiotics on discharge from the eD
Time frame: by the end of ED visit (an average time of 4 hours)
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