Multiplex PCR point of care testing versus routine, laboratory-based testing in the treatment of adults with respiratory tract infections: a quasi-randomised study assessing impact on length of stay and antimicrobial use

Andrews, Denise; Chetty, Yumela; Cooper, Ben S.; Virk, Manjinder; Glass, Stephen K; Letters, Andrew; Kelly, Philip A.; Sudhanva, Malur; Jeyaratnam, Dakshika

The delay in the present study may be related to screening for more complex eligibility criteria than the MRSA study and an additional reliance on study investigators present on the ward to perform the test. If this is the case, the TAT would be faster if FilmAr-ray® was embedded as a routine, diagnostic POC test. When ward staff did perform the test, they were from all grades and they performed it without incident. Others report a TAT of 2.3 h for FilmArray® POC testing, though the TAT was from the time of decision to test to the time of result and testing was conducted by trial staff [21] . Thus FilmArray® POC testing can be successfully implemented but this study failed to achieve the optimum TAT.