6533b7d1fe1ef96bd125d66b
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Implementation of Sample Pooling Procedure Using a Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic Real-Time PCR Test Performed Prior to Hospital Admission of People with Intellectual Disabilities
Antonino MusumeciVincenzo NeriGiuseppe QuatrosiFrancesca L'episcopoAlda RagalmutoMichele RoccellaFrancesco CalìLuigi VetriMirella Vincisubject
medicine.medical_specialtyHealth Toxicology and MutagenesisPoolingRT-PCRsample poolingSample (statistics)DiseaseReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionSensitivity and SpecificityIntellectual DisabilityIntellectual disabilitymedicineHumansDementiaHospital admission RT-PCR Sample pooling SARS-CoV-2 Sensitivity Hospitals Humans Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Reproducibility of Results SARS-CoV-2 Sensitivity and Specificity COVID-19 Intellectual DisabilitySARS-CoV-2business.industryBrief ReportPublic healthRPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthCOVID-19Reproducibility of Resultssensitivitymedicine.diseaseHospitalsTest (assessment)hospital admissionEmergency medicineMedicineSample collectionbusinessdescription
Reliability, accuracy, and timeliness of diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection have allowed adequate public health management of the disease, thus notably helping the timely mapping of viral spread within the community. Furthermore, the most vulnerable populations, such as people with intellectual disability and dementia, represent a high-risk group across multiple dimensions, including a higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, lower health maintenance, and a propensity for rapid community spread. This led to an urgent need for reliable in-house rapid testing to be performed prior to hospital admission. In the present study, we describe a pooling procedure in which oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 detection (performed prior to hospital admission using rapid RT-PCR assay) are pooled together at the time of sample collection. Sample pooling (groups of 2–4 samples per tube) allowed us to significantly reduce response times, consumables, and personnel costs while maintaining the same test sensitivity.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-01 | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |