Performance of a nurse-led paediatric point of care service for respiratory syncytial virus testing in secondary care.

Objectives: To evaluate respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-point-of-care-testing (POCT) performance among paediatric patients with respiratory symptoms, using the BinaxNOW(®) RSV assay performed by trained nurses on the paediatric ward, and compare results with those obtained by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Methods: Four paediatric nurses were trained and certified in using RSV-POCT. Between October 2008 and March 2009, all hospitalised children below 5 years of age presenting with a suspected RSV infection had nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) tested by RSV-POCT by the nurses and a real-time PCR targeting common respiratory viruses by laboratory staff.

Results: Among 159 NPS, 21 (13.2%) were RSV-POCT positive and 138 (86.8%) negative. All 21 RSV-POCT positive samples were positive by PCR, yielding a specificity of 100% (95% CI 95.7%, 100.0%). Of 138 RSV-POCT negative samples, 30 (21.7%) were RSV positive by PCR (sensitivity 41.2%; 95% CI: 27.9%, 55.8%). The positive and negative predictive values for RSV-POCT were 100% (95% CI 80.8%, 100.0%) and 78.3% (95% CI 70.3%, 84.6%) respectively. Other respiratory viruses were detected in 52/138 (39.9%) NPS.

Conclusions: A POCT for RSV run by trained nurses can be used reliably as a first screening step in symptomatic children. Negative samples should be analysed for RSV and other respiratory pathogens by real-time PCR.