COVID-19 screening of asymptomatic patients admitted through emergency departments in Alberta: a prospective quality-improvement study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among asymptomatic patients admitted to hospital has implications for personal protective equipment use, testing strategy and confidence in the safety of acute care services. Our aim was to estimate the positivity rate of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing among people admitted to hospital without symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Alberta, Canada.

Methods

Between Apr. 9 and May 24, 2020, we screened for COVID-19 symptoms and tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in all consecutive adult patients (≥ 18 yr) admitted via emergency department to 3 Alberta hospitals. We summarized the parameters of the epidemic curve and assessed the perform

SUBMITTER: Ravani P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7759116 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature