2024 Volume 73 Issue 1 Pages 99-105
ID NOW (Abbott) is a nucleic acid detection test with an extremely short turnaround time (15 min), and retests can be performed with a single sample sampling. We evaluated ID NOW Screening Tests for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic people who need urgent care or surgery. Eighty out of 4,507 positive cases identified on an initial ID NOW test were retested using ID NOW and other genetic testing methods. The results of six out of the 80 (7.5%) cases differed from those of the initial ID NOW retests. The results of ID NOW and standard genetic testing methods matched perfectly. The turnaround time for ID NOW was about 30 min, including retests, which is significantly shorter than that for other testing methods. The false-positive rate of ID NOW can be reduced by retesting, suggesting that ID NOW can contribute to rapid and simplified SARS-CoV-2 genetic tests. On the basis of this study, we can introduce the following operational flow with retesting as a potentially effective method: (1) ID NOW testing is to be used for the urgent screening of patients. (2) If negative, the result is to be reported as “negative”. (3) If positive, the patient is to be retested using ID NOW. (4) If the second result is positive and the same as the initial result, we report “positive”. (5) If the retest is negative whereas the initial result is positive, we report “negative”. With this test flow, all test results were reported within 30 min. In the screening tests for SARS-CoV-2, ID NOW is introduced, and the first positive sample is retested using the remaining extracted liquid. This system is useful in saving time and simplifying flow.
