Test could cut hospital admissions

A quick and easy test for viral infections could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and hospital admissions, researchers claim.

They said the test, which takes just 50 minutes to obtain results, could save hospitals about £2,000 for each patient not admitted to hospital and would help to relieve winter pressures on available beds.

Their findings, which are beingpresentedtotheeuropean Respiratory Society International Congress in Paris, could also help to reduce the development of antibiotic resistance by reducing the amount of antibiotics prescribed.

The procedure, known as point of care respiratory viral testing, has been trialled at Watford General Hospital in Hertfordshire since January.

It is performed by inserting a swab into the patient’s nostril to collect a sample of secretions from the back of the nose.

The sample is prepared and inserted into a compact machine called a Filmarray, which analyses the sample and then generates a printout.

The process should take less than 50 minutes, as opposed to the two days it usually takes to receive results from a lab testing.