{"id":827,"date":"2020-06-06T11:47:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T06:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.potentialloops.org\/?p=827"},"modified":"2020-06-06T11:47:32","modified_gmt":"2020-06-06T06:17:32","slug":"new-report-examines-challenges-and-implications-of-false-negative-covid-19-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.potentialloops.org\/?p=827","title":{"rendered":"New report examines challenges and implications of false-negative COVID-19 tests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Date: June 5, 2020 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source 1: The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source 2: www.sciencedaily.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary: In a new paper, researchers discuss challenges and implications related to false-negative diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As communities across the U.S. have struggled\n to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have focused on\n the lack of widespread testing as a major barrier to safely reopening \nthe country. As progress has been made on this front, concern has \nshifted to testing accuracy, predominantly with antibody tests, which \nare designed to identify prior infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But according to a new Dartmouth-led paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>,\n more emphasis should be placed on addressing the inaccuracy of \ndiagnostic tests, which play a key role in containing the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Diagnostic tests, typically involving a nasopharyngeal swab, can be \ninaccurate in two ways,” explains lead author Steven Woloshin, MD, MS, a\n professor of medicine and community and family medicine at Dartmouth’s \nGeisel School of Medicine, and of The Dartmouth Institute for Health \nPolicy and Clinical Practice. “A false-positive result mistakenly labels\n a person infected, with consequences including unnecessary quarantine \nand contact tracing. False-negative results are far more consequential \nbecause infected persons who might be asymptomatic may not be isolated \nand can infect others.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their paper, Woloshin and his colleagues discuss factors \ncontributing to the current limitations of diagnostic tests — including\n variability in test sensitivity and the lack of a standard process for \nvalidating test accuracy — and also cite several large studies whose \nfrequent false-negative results are cause for concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers draw several conclusions from their work. “Diagnostic\n testing will help to safely open the country, but only if the tests are\n highly sensitive and validated against a clinically meaningful \nreference standard — otherwise we cannot confidently declare people \nuninfected,” says Woloshin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FDA should also ensure that test manufacturers provide details of\n their tests’ clinical sensitivity and specificity at the time of market\n authorization. Tests without such information will have less relevance \nto patient care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Measuring the sensitivity of tests in asymptomatic people is an \nurgent priority,” says Woloshin. “A negative result on even a highly \nsensitive test cannot rule out infection if the pretest probability — \nan estimate before testing of a person’s chance of being infected — is \nhigh, so clinicians shouldn’t trust unexpected negative results.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This estimate might depend on how common COVID-19 is where a person lives, their exposure history, and symptoms, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Story Source:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materials<\/a> provided by The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth<\/strong><\/a>. Original written by Timothy Dean. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

www.sciencedaily.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Journal Reference<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Steven Woloshin, Neeraj Patel, Aaron S. Kesselheim. False Negative Tests for SARS-CoV-2 Infection — Challenges and Implications<\/strong>. New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>, 2020; DOI: 10.1056\/NEJMp2015897<\/a>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Cite This Page<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n