Multi-viral rapid antigen tests (RATs) have received the thumbs up from GPs, nurses and their patients in a study by the University of Otago, Wellington, and the University of Auckland.
The researchers trialled the use of the multi-viral RATs, which test for influenza A and B, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in seven primary care clinics in Wellington during the winter of 2023.
Professor Maria Stubbe
Senior author Professor Maria Stubbe from the Faculty of Medicine – Wellington says all of the doctors, nurses and most of the patients in the study, found it helpful to get a quick diagnosis.
“The patients who tested positive were more likely to adopt measures to reduce transmission by staying at home, taking time off work, wearing a mask, and avoiding older people.”
Professor Stubbe says the tests won favour with doctors too, many of whom said the RATs made it less likely they would need to order further tests, such as chest X-rays and blood tests.
More than half the prescribers reported that having a test result influenced their use of antibiotics, a positive development given the rising risk of antibiotic resistance globally.
The researchers recorded swab results from more than 1,700 patients, 14 per cent of whom tested positive to one of the viruses. They followed up with surveys of patients and clinic staff.
The study was funded as part of the SHIVERS-V programme, supported by a grant from the US-based Flu Lab to a national consortium of researchers led by the University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau. The results are published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP), with lead author Dr Sue Bibby, a former researcher at the University of Otago.
Professor Nikki Turner
A co-author of the study, Professor Nikki Turner, from the University of Auckland, says the newer multi-viral tests offer a fast and cost-effective way to diagnose respiratory illnesses.
As well as helping GPs to decide whether to prescribe antibiotics, she says they may also increase their use of anti-viral medications.
“About 40 per cent of the clinicians we surveyed felt the tests could help them make decisions on prescribing antiviral medications, which are currently hardly used in primary care. This could aid in reducing the severity of flu, Covid, and RSV in our vulnerable populations, including in older people.”
Multi-viral RATs are not commonly funded for patients in GP practices. Since the study was done, the tests have become available for sale in pharmacies and are offered by some general practices.
Professor Stubbe says an urgent care centre involved in the trial has adopted the use of multi-viral RATs for selected patients after seeing their benefits but is passing on the cost to patients, charging around $10 for a test.
“Purchasing these tests is expensive for primary care practices and for individual patients and households, and unless they are funded by government agencies, cost will remain a barrier, raising issues of equity in terms of who can afford the extra charge, and who cannot.
“Making them available in primary care practices is likely to provide wider benefits to society by encouraging patients who test positive to take steps to avoid spreading illness to others.”
Publication details
The research paper, ‘Respiratory multi-viral rapid-antigen point-of-care tests in New Zealand primary care: a mixed-methods pilot’ is published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP).