A recent study, published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine, examined a point-of-care testing strategy capable of providing test results within an hour, dramatically speeding up the time between diagnosis and administering treatment.

Led by Tristan Clark, MD, an associate professor in infectious diseases at the University of Southampton (UHS) in the United Kingdom, and colleagues at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, the study explained how the testing strategy uses a compilation of mobile tests to achieve quick results in a population suffering from different respiratory diseases.

The point-of-care strategy begins by processing patients swabs on a portable device combined with a rapid molecular test, eliminating the need to send samples to a laboratory. This method provides clinicians with results within an hour, rather than the usual few days.

The study, conducted at UHS from 2015 to 2016, included 720 patients with acute respiratory illnesses including pneumonia, asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease. Patients were split evenly into two groups—one receiving conventional care while the other received the point-of-care test. Results showed that patients in the point of care group were able to be treated more quickly. The could then be isolated if they tested positive for influenza and given medication sooner than those in conventional care.

"My vision is that anyone who comes into hospital with an acute respiratory condition will receive this point-of-care test as soon as they come through the hospital door," said Clark. "It tells us immediately what virus the person has so, for example, if they have flu they can be isolated in a side room and given antiviral drugs without delay."

Additionally, researchers believe this strategy can be an important addition to developing new antibiotics as antibiotic resistance grows.

"Lung infections in asthma and COPD patients are a common cause of antibiotic overuse" said Clark. "Antibiotics are only effective at treating bacterial infections and not infections caused by a virus like the cold or flu viruses, yet they are often given antibiotics 'just in case', when the cause of the infection is not immediately apparent. Tests like this, which enable tailored and personalized medicine, have a major role to play in the fight against antibiotic resistance."