Rapid Flu

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

Are all y'all doing rapid flu tests in house if a resident has symptoms of the flu? I priced out the kits today....22 tests are $301 dollars. I think it's worth it if I can diagnose flu within 15 seconds, put the patient on precautions immediately and start Tamiflu.

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

Yes, we are testing in house. Our Medical Director has set the standard to test anyone with fever over 101. Luckily all good here so far. I've been on housekeeping to keep the doorknobs, light switches, handrails cleaned multiple times daily. Reminding the aides/nurses of frequent handwashing for them and for residents. Have told all staff to alert me if any visitor appears ill....because I will politely ask them to leave!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Rapid testing is useful in early identification of those who are positive for the flu, but shouldn't replace more accurate testing since false negatives are quite common with the rapid tests. False positive are less common but still occur. In other words, a patient who tests positive on a rapid test likely has the flu, but a patient who tests negative may still have the flu. Given that there is really no meaningful benefit to Tamiflu, I'm not sure it's really worth the cost particularly based off a less accurate rapid test.

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