tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2021 Oct 4;8(12)
fab495.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab495. eCollection 2021 Dec.
Feasibility and Acceptability of Community Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing Strategies (FACTS) in a University Setting
Jennifer A Hirst[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mary Logan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Thomas R Fanshawe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lazaro Mwandigha[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marta Wanat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Charles Vicary[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rafael Perera[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sarah Tonkin-Crine[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Joseph Jonathan Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Irene Tracey[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Gordon Duff[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Peter Tufano[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Marya Besharov[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Lionel Tarassenko[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Brian D Nicholson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], F D Richard Hobbs[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, the UK government began a mass severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing program. This study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of organized regular self-testing for SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: This was a mixed-methods observational cohort study in asymptomatic students and staff at University of Oxford, who performed SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow self-testing. Data on uptake and adherence, acceptability, and test interpretation were collected via a smartphone app, an online survey, and qualitative interviews.
Results: Across 3 main sites, 551 participants (25% of those invited) performed 2728 tests during a follow-up of 5.6 weeks; 447 participants (81%) completed at least 2 tests, and 340 (62%) completed at least 4. The survey, completed by 214 participants (39%), found that 98% of people were confident to self-test and believed self-testing to be beneficial. Acceptability of self-testing was high, with 91% of ratings being acceptable or very acceptable. A total of 2711 (99.4%) test results were negative, 9 were positive, and 8 were inconclusive. Results from 18 qualitative interviews with students and staff revealed that participants valued regular testing, but there were concerns about test accuracy that impacted uptake and adherence.
Conclusions: This is the first study to assess feasibility and acceptability of regular SARS-CoV-2 self-testing. It provides evidence to inform recruitment for, adherence to, and acceptability of regular SARS-CoV-2 self-testing programs for asymptomatic individuals using lateral flow tests. We found that self-testing is acceptable and people were able to interpret results accurately.
Keywords: COVID-19; asymptomatic; lateral flow test; self-testing; university.
. 2021 Oct 4;8(12)
fab495.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab495. eCollection 2021 Dec.
Feasibility and Acceptability of Community Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing Strategies (FACTS) in a University Setting
Jennifer A Hirst[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mary Logan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Thomas R Fanshawe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Lazaro Mwandigha[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marta Wanat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Charles Vicary[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rafael Perera[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sarah Tonkin-Crine[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Joseph Jonathan Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Irene Tracey[SUP] 4 5 [/SUP], Gordon Duff[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Peter Tufano[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Marya Besharov[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Lionel Tarassenko[SUP] 8 9 [/SUP], Brian D Nicholson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], F D Richard Hobbs[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34904117
- PMCID: PMC8515264
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab495
Abstract
Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, the UK government began a mass severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing program. This study aimed to determine the feasibility and acceptability of organized regular self-testing for SARS-CoV-2.
Methods: This was a mixed-methods observational cohort study in asymptomatic students and staff at University of Oxford, who performed SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow self-testing. Data on uptake and adherence, acceptability, and test interpretation were collected via a smartphone app, an online survey, and qualitative interviews.
Results: Across 3 main sites, 551 participants (25% of those invited) performed 2728 tests during a follow-up of 5.6 weeks; 447 participants (81%) completed at least 2 tests, and 340 (62%) completed at least 4. The survey, completed by 214 participants (39%), found that 98% of people were confident to self-test and believed self-testing to be beneficial. Acceptability of self-testing was high, with 91% of ratings being acceptable or very acceptable. A total of 2711 (99.4%) test results were negative, 9 were positive, and 8 were inconclusive. Results from 18 qualitative interviews with students and staff revealed that participants valued regular testing, but there were concerns about test accuracy that impacted uptake and adherence.
Conclusions: This is the first study to assess feasibility and acceptability of regular SARS-CoV-2 self-testing. It provides evidence to inform recruitment for, adherence to, and acceptability of regular SARS-CoV-2 self-testing programs for asymptomatic individuals using lateral flow tests. We found that self-testing is acceptable and people were able to interpret results accurately.
Keywords: COVID-19; asymptomatic; lateral flow test; self-testing; university.