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Viral respiratory illnesses in the post-pandemic era

Dr. Allison McGeer
Point of Care testing for respiratory viruses: a post-pandemic perspective

Seasonal influenza leads to numerous illnesses and deaths each year.1 Early detection and treatment are crucial for vulnerable populations. While centralized lab testing is highly accurate, transporting samples can cause delays. Advances in point-of-care (POC) testing enable diagnostics to be performed near the patient care site, providing high sensitivity, specificity, and convenience.2 These advances, along with the impact of pandemics, have accelerated the shift of respiratory disease testing from centralized labs to point of care (POC) testing.


Dr. Allison McGeer, an expert in infectious diseases and epidemiologist, shared her insights on how POC technology enhances respiratory disease diagnosis and treatment. She highlighted that POC testing enables quick, accurate infection identification, supports faster clinical decisions, shortens emergency stays, and reduces antiviral misuse,1-4 leading to improved care for the individual and those exposed. Additionally, POC testing generates large amounts of data with varying degrees of granularity,  empowering efficient public health assessments and interventions, which have become more important in the wake of pandemics.


Although transitioning respiratory disease diagnostics from laboratory to POC faces challenges such as building technical trust and adapting workflows, there is no doubt that POC represents a significant advancement and a future trend. The lessons learned from the pandemic can help us use this technology carefully and thoughtfully to provide better healthcare.


We hope you enjoy this insightful webinar.

References:

  1. Benirschke RC et al. Clinical impact of rapid point-of-care PCR influenza testing in an urgent care setting: a single-center study. 2019;  Feb 27;57(3):e01281-18. 57:e01281-18. 
  2. Joanna Merckx et al. Diagnostic Accuracy of Novel and Traditional Rapid Tests for Influenza Infection Compared With Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med.2017;167:394-409. 
  3. Schober T et al. Clinical Outcomes of Rapid Respiratory Virus Testing in Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 1845(5):528-536. 
  4. Gerlier C et al. Clinical and operational impact of rapid point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 detection in an emergency department. Am J Emerg Med. 2021; Dec;50:713-718.


The views and opinions expressed in this webinar are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Roche or any other sponsors.

Biography

Dr. Allison McGeer is an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at Sinai Health System and a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. She earned her M.D. and completed training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, followed by a fellowship in hospital epidemiology at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Dr. McGeer has a long-standing interest in the epidemiology and prevention of respiratory viral infections in adults, and plays a significant role in infection control, influencing both clinical practice and public health policy. Her research focuses on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, influenza epidemiology, and adult immunization. During the SARS outbreak in Toronto and the COVID-19 pandemic, she led investigations into virus transmission and provided crucial guidance on public health strategies.

Today, Dr. McGeer remains active in infection control efforts, serving on Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the infection control subcommittee of Ontario’s Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee.

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