TY - JOUR
T1 - The Importance of Rapid Influenza Testing in Pediatric Primary Care :
T2 - Experience During Three Consecutive Influenza Seasons (2016-2019) in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain)
AU - Rodrigo Gonzalo de Líria, Carlos
AU - Pumarola Suñé, Tomàs
AU - Antón, Andrés
AU - van Esso, Diego
AU - Vilà, Monica
AU - Andrés, Cristina
AU - Iglesias, Sheila
AU - Ferrer, Josep
AU - Losada, Lucia
AU - Ricos, Gemma
AU - Sanchez, Lorena
AU - Morera, Patricia
AU - Pérez, Mar
AU - Ferrandez, Mª Angeles
AU - Hernando, Esther
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Clinical diagnosis of influenza has low sensitivity in infants and children. Signs and symptoms are non-specific and similar to those of other respiratory viruses. Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) with adequate sensitivity and specificity used at the point of care can be useful for an etiologic diagnosis of influenza in primary care. This should have an impact on better management of these patients. We conducted a study during three consecutive influenza seasons (2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019) in pediatric primary care settings collecting data from influenza point-of-care tests (POCTs)-confirmed ≤ 6-year-old patients. During the first two influenza seasons, antibiotic prescriptions and additional visits from influenza POCT-confirmed patients (Group_1) were compared to patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) (Group_2), or fever (2016 ICD-10 code R50) with no other signs of influenza (Group_3). Group_1 had 0.19 (2016-2017) and 0.23 (2017-2018) additional visits compared to 0.48 (2016-2017) and 0.49 (2017-2018) Group_2 p < 0.001 and 1.01 (2016-2017) and 0.80 (2017-2018) Group_3 p < 0.001. Antibiotic prescription was lower in Group_1 (10.2%) vs. Group_3 (17.2%) p < 0.002, difference statistically significant only for the 2017-2018 season. During the third season (2018-2019), RIDTs results were transmitted in real time to the reference laboratory ia the cloud, which strengthens the monitoring of circulating influenza viruses in the community. In our experience, the use of POCTs has a great potential in primary care specially in infants and young children in which the diagnosis maybe missed due to non-specific signs and symptoms
AB - Clinical diagnosis of influenza has low sensitivity in infants and children. Signs and symptoms are non-specific and similar to those of other respiratory viruses. Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) with adequate sensitivity and specificity used at the point of care can be useful for an etiologic diagnosis of influenza in primary care. This should have an impact on better management of these patients. We conducted a study during three consecutive influenza seasons (2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019) in pediatric primary care settings collecting data from influenza point-of-care tests (POCTs)-confirmed ≤ 6-year-old patients. During the first two influenza seasons, antibiotic prescriptions and additional visits from influenza POCT-confirmed patients (Group_1) were compared to patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) (Group_2), or fever (2016 ICD-10 code R50) with no other signs of influenza (Group_3). Group_1 had 0.19 (2016-2017) and 0.23 (2017-2018) additional visits compared to 0.48 (2016-2017) and 0.49 (2017-2018) Group_2 p < 0.001 and 1.01 (2016-2017) and 0.80 (2017-2018) Group_3 p < 0.001. Antibiotic prescription was lower in Group_1 (10.2%) vs. Group_3 (17.2%) p < 0.002, difference statistically significant only for the 2017-2018 season. During the third season (2018-2019), RIDTs results were transmitted in real time to the reference laboratory ia the cloud, which strengthens the monitoring of circulating influenza viruses in the community. In our experience, the use of POCTs has a great potential in primary care specially in infants and young children in which the diagnosis maybe missed due to non-specific signs and symptoms
KW - Influenza
KW - Primary care
KW - Children
KW - Rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT)
KW - Point of care test (POCT)
KW - Pediatrics
KW - Respiratory viral infection
U2 - 10.3389/fped.2020.00565
DO - 10.3389/fped.2020.00565
M3 - Article
C2 - 33163462
SN - 2296-2360
VL - 8
JO - Frontiers in Pediatrics
JF - Frontiers in Pediatrics
ER -