Home-based Flu Tests As Accurate As Rapid Diagnostic Testing In ...

Home » How Reliable Are Rapid Flu Tests » Home-based Flu Tests As Accurate As Rapid Diagnostic Testing In ...

Maybe your like

Science News from research organizations Home-based flu tests as accurate as rapid diagnostic testing in clinical settings

Study findings underscore imperative of expanding test access and lowering costs

Date: March 10, 2022 Source: University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine Summary: Home-based, self-administered tests for influenza are comparable in accuracy to rapid diagnostic tests in clinical settings, according to a peer-reviewed study. The researchers determined that sensitivity and specificity of the home test and clinical test were similar. False-negative results were more common when the self-test was administered after 72 hours of the onset of symptoms, but were not related to inadequate swab collection or severity of illness. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY

Home-based, self-administered tests for influenza are comparable in accuracy to rapid diagnostic tests in clinical settings, according to a recently published, peer-reviewed study.

"Home tests are a valuable tool to support the management of influenza and other respiratory infections," said Matthew J. Thompson, professor of global health and family medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Thompson is the senior author on the study and a primary-care physician at UW Medicine.

"The tests facilitate earlier diagnoses and reduce the time from the onset of symptoms to patients seeking appropriate care," he said.

More than 600 Seattle-area residents participated in the 2020 study between February and the end of May. Participants were mailed influenza testing kits. After swabbing their noses, they either recorded the results through an app, or returned the kits to the lab of Lea Starita in the Brotman Baty Institute of Precision Medicine. Starita is an assistant professor of genome sciences at the UW School of Medicine, and one of the study co-authors.

The researchers determined that sensitivity and specificity of the self-test were comparable with those of influenza rapid diagnostic tests used in clinical settings. False-negative results were more common when the self-test was administered after 72 hours of the appearance of symptoms, but were not related to inadequate swab collection or severity of illness.

"This study underscores the imperative of expanding access to testing and lowering the costs,"

  • RELATED TOPICS
  • RELATED TERMS

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine. Original written by Dean Owen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

  1. Rachel E Geyer, Jack Henry Kotnik, Victoria Lyon, Elisabeth Brandstetter, Monica Zigman Suchsland, Peter D Han, Chelsey Graham, Misja Ilcisin, Ashley E Kim, Helen Y Chu, Deborah A Nickerson, Lea M Starita, Trevor Bedford, Barry Lutz, Matthew J Thompson. Diagnostic Accuracy of an At-Home, Rapid Self-test for Influenza: Prospective Comparative Accuracy Study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 2022; 8 (2): e28268 DOI: 10.2196/28268

Cite This Page:

  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine. "Home-based flu tests as accurate as rapid diagnostic testing in clinical settings." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 March 2022. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220310170843.htm>. University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine. (2022, March 10). Home-based flu tests as accurate as rapid diagnostic testing in clinical settings. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 26, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220310170843.htm University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine. "Home-based flu tests as accurate as rapid diagnostic testing in clinical settings." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220310170843.htm (accessed December 26, 2025).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily RELATED STORIES   Print   Email   Share

Breaking

this hour
  • Why Some People Keep Making Bad Decisions
  • Common Food Ingredient May Affect Kids for Life
  • A Strange Star Near a Silent Black Hole
  • The Secret Water Vault Under Our Feet
  • A New Way to Treat Drug Resistant Epilepsy
  • A Fish Thought Extinct Is Found Alive
  • Popular Painkiller May Do More Harm Than Good
  • Hurricanes Are Pushing Past Category 5
  • A Vast Cosmic Structure Is Spinning
  • A Christmas Tree in Space
this week HEALTH & MEDICINE Colon Cancer Gastrointestinal Problems Nutrition MIND & BRAIN Intelligence Perception Learning Disorders LIVING & WELL Nutrition Consumer Behavior Behavior

Strange & Offbeat

  HEALTH & MEDICINE Your Roommate’s Genes May Be Shaping Your Gut Bacteria He Ate a Hamburger and Died Hours Later. Doctors Found a Shocking Cause New Study Reveals How Kimchi Boosts the Immune System MIND & BRAIN Why Consciousness Can’t Be Reduced to Code Are They Really Listening? Watch Their Blinks Why Consciousness Exists at All LIVING & WELL Cannabis Compounds Show Unexpected Power Against Ovarian Cancer Scientists Reveal the Real Benefits and Hidden Risks of Medical Cannabis Scientists Find Dark Chocolate Ingredient That Slows Aging Toggle navigation Menu   SD
  • SD
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Health
    • View all the latest top news in the health sciences, or browse the topics below: Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Cancer
      • Cold and Flu
      • Diabetes
      • Heart Disease
      • ... more topics
      Mind & Brain
      • ADD and ADHD
      • Alzheimer's
      • Headaches
      • Intelligence
      • Psychology
      • ... more topics
      Living Well
      • Parenting
      • Child Development
      • Stress
      • Nutrition
      • Fitness
      • ... more topics
  • Tech
    • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology, or browse the topics below: Matter & Energy
      • Chemistry
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Nanotechnology
      • Physics
      • Solar Energy
      • ... more topics
      Space & Time
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Matter
      • Extrasolar Planets
      • Solar System
      • Space Telescopes
      • ... more topics
      Computers & Math
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Mathematics
      • Quantum Computers
      • Robotics
      • Virtual Reality
      • ... more topics
  • Enviro
    • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences, or browse the topics below: Plants & Animals
      • Agriculture and Food
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Extinction
      • Microbes and More
      • ... more topics
      Earth & Climate
      • Climate
      • Earthquakes
      • Geology
      • Global Warming
      • Pollution
      • ... more topics
      Fossils & Ruins
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • Dinosaurs
      • Evolution
      • Paleontology
      • ... more topics
  • Society
    • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education, or browse the topics below: Science & Society
      • Arts & Culture
      • Economics
      • Privacy Issues
      • Public Health
      • Sports
      • ... more topics
      Business & Industry
      • Computers & Internet
      • Energy & Resources
      • Engineering
      • Medical Technology
      • Transportation
      • ... more topics
      Education & Learning
      • Creativity
      • Educational Psychology
      • Infant & Preschool
      • Learning Disorders
      • STEM Education
      • ... more topics
  • Quirky
    • Top News
    • Human Quirks
    • Odd Creatures
    • Bizarre Things
    • Weird World
Keyword:Search

Tag » How Reliable Are Rapid Flu Tests