Routine Application of Point-of-care PCR Test to Identify and Direct Therapy for Acute Respiratory Infection in the Emergency Department Trial

Launched by THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG · Jan 13, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The RAPID-ARIED Trial is a research study aimed at improving the way we diagnose and treat acute respiratory infections (like influenza and COVID-19) in the emergency department. The goal is to see if using a quick test called a point-of-care PCR test can help doctors identify these infections faster and reduce how long patients stay in the hospital. The researchers will compare two groups of patients: one group will receive the quick test in the emergency department, while the other group will have their tests done later. They hope that the quick testing will not only shorten hospital stays but also reduce the use of unnecessary medications.

To participate in this study, you need to be an adult (18 years or older) who is being admitted to the hospital for a respiratory illness, such as pneumonia or bronchitis, and you should have had symptoms for 10 days or less. You also shouldn’t have received antibiotics or antiviral medications in the last two weeks. If you join, you will have a nasal swab taken for testing, and the results will be shared with you and your doctors right away. This study is important because it will help determine how effective this quick testing method is for future outbreaks of respiratory illnesses.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adult patients aged 18 years or above
• • Intended for admission to hospital with acute respiratory illness (defined as a provisional diagnosis of pneumonia, bronchitis, influenza-like illness, acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or bronchiectasis.)
• • Respiratory symptoms present ≤10 days before admission to hospital
• • No prior treatment with antibiotics or antivirals in the previous 14 days
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Refusal of nasal or pharyngeal swabbing
• • Refusal of informed consent
• • Previously included in the study and re-presentation within 28 days of hospital discharge
• • A prior positive test by antigen test or other PCR test for COVID-19 or influenza before ED presentation
• • Exposure to FluMist® or other similar live attenuated influenza vaccines within 1 month (because such exposures may lead to a false positive PCR test result with the nasal swab sample).