Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34373308›Full record

Observational studyBMJ open2021

Utility of the FebriDx point-of-care assay in supporting a triage algorithm for medical admissions with possible COVID-19: an observational cohort study.

Hamish Houston, Gavin Deas, Shivam Naik, Kamal Shah, Shiras Patel, Maria Greca Dottori, Michael Tay, Sarah Ann Filson, James Biggin-Lamming, John Ross and 6 more

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% 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

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. A Rapid Test to Differentiate Viral From Bacterial Infections: Searching for the Holy Grail.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Observational
  9. Observational
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

16 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Hamish HoustonDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5302-7563
Gavin DeasDepartment of Acute Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Shivam NaikSchool of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Kamal ShahSchool of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2341-7688
Shiras PatelSchool of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Maria Greca DottoriSchool of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Michael TaySchool of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Sarah Ann FilsonDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
James Biggin-LammingTransformation Programme Director, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
John RossEmergency Department, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Natalie VaughanDepartment of Pathology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Nidhi VaidDepartment of Acute Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Guduru Gopal RaoDepartment of Microbiology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8108-4431
Amit K AminDepartment of Microbiology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Ankur Gupta-Wright *Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK a.gupta-wright@ucl.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-5150-2970
Laurence John *Department of Infectious Diseases, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
London North West Healthcare NHS Trust · GBImperial College London · GBLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate a triage algorithm used to identify and isolate patients with suspected COVID-19 among medical patients needing admission to hospital using simple clinical criteria and the FebriDx assay.

designRetrospective observational cohort.

settingLarge acute National Health Service hospital in London, UK.

participantsAll medical admissions from the emergency department between 10 August 2020 and 4 November 2020 with a valid SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR result.

interventionsMedical admissions were triaged as likely, possible or unlikely COVID-19 based on clinical criteria. Patients triaged as possible COVID-19 underwent FebriDx lateral flow assay on capillary blood, and those positive for myxovirus resistance protein A (a host response protein) were managed as likely COVID-19. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity and predictive values) of the algorithm and the FebriDx assay using SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs as the reference standard.

results4.0% (136) of 3443 medical admissions had RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19. Prevalence of COVID-19 was 46% (80/175) in those triaged as likely, 4.1% (50/1225) in possible and 0.3% (6/2033) in unlikely COVID-19. Using a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR reference standard, clinical triage had sensitivity of 96% (95% CI 91% to 98%) and specificity of 61.5% (95% CI 59.8% to 63.1%), while the triage algorithm including FebriDx had sensitivity of 93% (95% CI 87% to 96%) and specificity of 86.4% (95% CI 85.2% to 87.5%). While 2033 patients were deemed not to require isolation using clinical criteria alone, the addition of FebriDx to clinical triage allowed a further 826 patients to be released from isolation, reducing the need for isolation rooms by 9.5 per day, 95% CI 8.9 to 10.2. Ten patients missed by the algorithm had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19.

conclusionsA triage algorithm including the FebriDx assay had good sensitivity and was useful to 'rule-out' COVID-19 among medical admissions to hospital.

Indexed as

COVID-19AlgorithmsCohort StudiesHumansPoint-of-Care SystemsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Sensitivity and SpecificityState MedicineTriageCOVID-19infection controlmolecular diagnostics

Identifiers

PMID34373308
PMCPMC8354759
OpenAlexW3187668749

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.