Impact of Rapid Screening for COVID-19 in Delocalized Biology in the Emergency Department

Early detection with a sensitive technique of COVID-19 is essential to ensure rapid and appropriate patient management, to contain the epidemic and to better understand the global epidemiology of the virus. This detection will intensify in the coming months due to the start of the school year and university as well as the economic recovery. Until now, laboratory diagnostics have relied primarily on the amplification and detection of viral gene sequences in upper respiratory tract samples performed in a centralized laboratory. A new test (Abbott ID NowTM COVID-19) is available on the market. This test is the first in France to be able to be carried out in a delocalized medical biology examination (DMBE) and makes it possible to return a result in less than 15 min directly in the clinical department. The speed of this technique is based on the use of isothermal gene amplification. The investigators will be the first to evaluate it in France in delocalized biology.

The improvement in diagnostic technique, concomitant with the development of knowledge on the pathophysiology and specific therapies, has been accompanied by better therapeutic management of patients with Covid19. To date, dexamethasone represents the first class of drugs proven to be effective in reducing mortality from COVID-19 in patients with severe disease. Anticoagulant treatment at a prophylactic dose in hospitalized patients or at risk for the severe form, and at a curative dose for severe forms is also the subject of strong recommendations due to the high incidence of venous and arterial thromboembolic events in these patients. It is also recommended that the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics be reserved for patients with radiological abnormalities compatible with bacterial superinfection and / or requiring oxygen therapy greater than or equal to 6 liters / min.

In France, systematic screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the emergency room before hospitalization, an operating room, or transfer to another establishment. At GhPSJ, the reference RT-PCR technique Simplexa ™ COVID-19 Direct assay has been used routinely since July 2020 by the microbiology laboratory. It allows a result rendering in a minimum delay of 50 minutes. Since September 7, 2020, the prescription of an RT-PCR is systematically associated with a dedicated computerized questionnaire on the DxCare® software completed by the emergency physician. It collects the reason for prescribing RT-PCR: "diagnostic suspicion", "bed management", "preoperative screening", or "screening for transfer to another establishment"; the patient's lifestyle; the symptomatic or asymptomatic nature and the duration of the symptoms. Since October 22, 2020, the DMBE with the Test ID NowTM COVID-19 has been installed and implemented in the Emergency Department. It is used by the trained and authorized Emergency Nursing team for any patient having a prescription for RT-PCR Sars-CoV-2 by the emergency physician.

The investigators wish to verify the hypothesis that obtaining the rapid diagnosis of Sars-CoV-2 infection by DMBE in the emergency room (Test ID NowTM COVID-19) makes it possible to optimize the organizational and medical management of emergency room patients having a Sars-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. In the literature, there is no study available evaluating the impact of a rapid examination in delocalized biology on the medical management of patients in an emergency department.