Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34059036›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2021

Care pathway and prioritization of rapid testing for COVID-19 in UK hospitals: a qualitative evaluation.

Timothy Hicks, Amanda Winter, Kile Green, Patrick Kierkegaard, D Ashley Price, Richard Body, A Joy Allen, Sara Graziadio, CONDOR Steering Group

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. COVID-19 rapid diagnostics: practice review.Emergency medicine journal : EMJ · 2022
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Timothy HicksNIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK. Timothy.Hicks@nhs.net.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0942-696X
Amanda WinterNIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7921-3073
Kile GreenNIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4777-5458
Patrick KierkegaardNIHR London In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8600-7956
D Ashley PriceNIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0562-7326
Richard BodyDivision of Cardiovascular Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9089-8130
A Joy AllenNIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3222-0396
Sara GraziadioNIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-Operative, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6288-9202
CONDOR Steering Group
Royal Victoria Infirmary · GBNIHR Leeds In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative · GBManchester Royal Infirmary · GBInstitute of Cancer Research · GBNewcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is now established, occurring at a time of winter pressure on acute care in the NHS. This is likely to be more challenging then the first wave for the diagnosis of COVID-19 because of the similar symptomology with other respiratory conditions highly prevalent in winter. This study sought to understand the care pathways in place in UK NHS hospitals during the first wave (March-July 2020) for identification of patients with COVID-19 and to learn lessons to inform optimal testing strategies within the COVID-19 National Diagnostic Research and Evaluation Platform (CONDOR). DESIGN, SETTING &

participantsSixteen hospital-based clinicians from 12 UK NHS Trusts covering 10 different specialties were interviewed following a semi-structured topic guide. Data were coded soon after the interviews and analysed thematically.

resultsWe developed a diagrammatic, high-level visualisation of the care pathway describing the main clinical decisions associated with the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected COVID-19. COVID-19 testing influenced infection control considerations more so than treatment decisions. Two main features of service provision influenced the patient management significantly: access to rapid laboratory testing and the number of single occupancy rooms. If time to return of result was greater than 24 h, patients with a presumptive diagnosis would often be cohorted based on clinical suspicion alone. Undetected COVID-19 during this time could therefore lead to an increased risk of viral transmission.

conclusionsDuring the winter months, priority for provision of rapid testing at admission should be given to hospitals with limited access to laboratory services and single room availability. Access to rapid testing is essential for urgent decisions related to emergency surgery, maternity services and organ transplant. The pathway and prioritization of need will inform the economic modelling, clinical evaluations, and implementation of new clinical tests in UK.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 TestingFemaleHospitalsHumansPregnancySARS-CoV-2United Kingdom

Identifiers

PMID34059036
PMCPMC8165513
OpenAlexW3124433855

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.