A Rapid Nucleic Acid Amplification Test-Based, Conditional Release-to-Work Policy for Health Care Personnel with Symptoms Consistent with COVID-19

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blanc, Paul D. ; Hart, Colin ; Huen, Will ; Jacobson, Mark A. ; Suarez Guardado, Griselda ; Villanueva, Allyson ; Whitman, Jeffrey
• Description:
  Objective: Most health care personnel (HCP) reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 illness are assessed by high-accuracy SARS-CoV-2 assays performed in clinical laboratories, but the results of such assays typically are not available until the following day. Methods: This is an observational study over 16 weeks of a rapid nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) performed at point of contact. The benchmark for comparison was a simultaneously obtained specimen assayed by a routine NAAT assay performed in a clinical laboratory. Results: There were 577 paired rapid and routine NAAT results. Rapid test positive predictive value was 90.0% (95% confidence interval = 88.8%-91.2%), and negative predictive value was 95.2% (95% confidence interval = 93.5%-96.9%). The rapid test avoided an estimated 160 to 184 lost work shifts over 4 months. Conclusions: A rapid NAAT test-based strategy proved effective in safely clearing symptomatic employees without infection for earlier return to work. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Laboratories Occupational Health Safety Virus Diseases
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 COVID-19 Diagnosis Health Care Personnel Health Care Workers Infection Control Infectious Diseases Laboratory Testing Policy Return To Work SARS-CoV-2 Symptomatic Workforce

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067159
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2023 Feb; 65(2):125-127
• Contact Point Address:
  Mark A. Jacobson, MD, 995 Potrero, 4th Flr, San Francisco, CA 94110
• Email:
  mark.jacobson@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ee3f322b8b9573f423526e7eec50b2a7f447645a181a2645a8d94c2aae4f57eae445e0ee18409d68c7f227430cdff66387e4a081003f651057ddd04ba21512df
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230864/cdc_230864_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 99.67 KB ]