Self-testing for diagnosing an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is usually performed with a rapid diagnostic test designed to identify viral proteins (RDT:Ag). Several lines of evidence indicate that there is insufficient clinical validation of these widely available diagnostic tools, so that some devices currently available on the market may display very low diagnostic performance (particularly poor diagnostic sensitivity) and should not be used in ordinary health care practice. Thus, although the use of RDT:Ag is a valuable and powerful resource for managing the post-COVID-19 pandemic period, much work remains to be done before the accuracy and safety of these tests will become sufficiently high to be widely used as a public measure for preventing or controlling viral outbreaks in the general population
SARS-CoV-2 self-testing: Handle with care
Lippi, Giuseppe
2024-01-01
Abstract
Self-testing for diagnosing an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is usually performed with a rapid diagnostic test designed to identify viral proteins (RDT:Ag). Several lines of evidence indicate that there is insufficient clinical validation of these widely available diagnostic tools, so that some devices currently available on the market may display very low diagnostic performance (particularly poor diagnostic sensitivity) and should not be used in ordinary health care practice. Thus, although the use of RDT:Ag is a valuable and powerful resource for managing the post-COVID-19 pandemic period, much work remains to be done before the accuracy and safety of these tests will become sufficiently high to be widely used as a public measure for preventing or controlling viral outbreaks in the general population
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