A cohort study of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 point of care rapid RT-PCR at the Emergency Department on targeted admission

(ii)AbstractBackgroundTo prevent nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2, infection control measures are implemented for patients with symptoms compatible with COVID-19 until reliable test results are available. This delay targeted admission to the most appropriate ward based on the medical condition. SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests and point of care (POC) rapid RT-PCR were introduced at emergency departments (EDs) in late 2020, but the consequence on targeted admission is unknown.ObjectivesTo assess the effect of RAD tests and POC rapid RT-PCR (VitaPCR, Credo Diagnostics, Singapore) on targeted admission.MethodsPatients presenting at the ED of a referral hospital (N = 2,940) between 13-Nov-2020 and 12-Jan-2021 were included. The study period was delimited by introduction of RAD tests and VitaPCR. Participant data was collected retrospectively, and outcome variables were length-of-stay (LoS), intrahospital transfers and targeted admission to COVID-19 ward.ResultsRAD tests reduced ED LoS for participants with positive tests or that were not tested. Negative VitaPCR results reduced mean hospital LoS by 1.5 (95%CI: 0.3–2.7) days and admissions to COVID-19 wards from 34.5 (95%CI: 28.9-40.5) to 14.7 (95%CI: 11.1-19.1) per 100 admissions. Introduction of VitaPCR reduced transfers between hospital wards in the first 5 days from 50.0 (95%CI: 45.0-55.0) to 34.0 (95%CI: 30.3-37.9) per 100 admissions.ConclusionRAD tests enabled rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection which had pronounced effects on LoS at the ED. VitaPCR added the possibility of exclusion of the infection which increased targeted admissions, reduced intrahospital transfers and lead to shorter stay at the hospital.

Construction and validation of a test of knowledge of contraceptive methods for adolescents

Background: Valid and reliable instruments are required to measure the level of information on contraceptive methods in adolescents to promote their correct use. Objective: To construct and validate a test of knowledge of contraceptive methods for adolescents between 15 and 19 years old. Method: A 36-item test was developed that included the different contraceptive methods and information on the characteristics, use, efficacy, advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Once validated by expert judges, a college in Ecatepec was randomly selected as data collection site. Students of the three school grades answered the test. Results: The test was applied to a total of 229 students between 15 and 19 years old (M = 16.22; SD = .978). The majority were women (66%), single (88.5%) and lived with their parents (62.9%). Of the 36 initial items, 31 showed discriminatory power between those who performed well on the test and those who did not. The difficulty index of the questionnaire was .45 and revealed a reliability index value of .739. Around 60% of the participants obtained a percentage below 50% of correct answers in the entire test. Only about 4% of participants got a percentage of correct responses higher than 70%. The categories of characteristics and use were those in which the participants performed best when answering 48% of these questions correctly. The worst was effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages with 33%. Conclusion: The test’s psychometric properties showed that it is a valid and reliable test for its application in Mexican adolescents. The results indicate that most adolescents of the simple do not have complete information about contraceptive methods and that they know the least about their effectiveness and side effects.

Research of social expectations of university students in the dimensions of psychological well-being

The aim of the article is to argue theoretically and empirically study the relationship between social expectations and psychological well-being of university students. Methodological starting points of empirical research are outlined. Valid and reliable test methods are used to study the psychological content parameters of social expectations and psychological well-being. The results determined that the psychological features of social expectations and psychological well-being of student's youth are theoretically substantiated. It was found that the respondents have an average level of parameters of psychological well-being and social expectations, which indicates moderate life satisfaction and the presence of adequate orientation in the socio-psychological reality. The most formed components of psychological well-being are the balance of affect and meaningfulness, which indicates the awareness of their own lives by student’s youth. It is recorded that the respondents have the least formed - self-acceptance, positive attitude and autonomy.

Evaluating & Approving CMT Test Questions

Getting an ISO/IEC 17024 testing accreditation for a Certified Metrology Technician is no trivial matter. Much like a 17025 accreditation, which we are all familiar with, 17024 has a long list of requirements and procedures in place to get accredited. Not only do you need to create testing criteria, but the results also have to be statistically evaluated for reliability and validity. Creating a test that is both valid and reliable is an extensive and robust process. A valid and reliable test will certify that the education and training have properly prepared the technician to take the test and the test accurately measures the competencies and standards set forth by the accreditation body. More importantly passing the test will show that a certified technician has the required knowledge and capacity to enter the metrology field. Ensuring the process is robust has several significant components and procedures that must be followed. Psychometricians are trained professionals that ensure the efficacy and integrity of certified tests are met and maintained. Psychometricians use quantitative data and analysis procedures to determine the reliability, validity, and fairness of an assessment measure. This paper will cover the 17024 requirements and how psychometricians evaluate tests for reliability and validity. Additionally, this paper will discuss the process to follow for creating test questions, assessing their quality, and developing rigorous assessment methods that align with accreditation standards and education content.

Simple Disposable Odor Identification Tests for Predicting SARS-CoV-2 Positivity

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a common manifestation of COVID-19 and may be useful for screening. Survey-based olfactory evaluation tends to underestimate the prevalence of OD, while psychophysical olfactory testing during a pandemic has the disadvantage of being time consuming, expensive, and requiring standardized laboratory settings. We aimed to develop a quick, simple, affordable, and reliable test to objectively assess the prevalence and diagnostic accuracy of OD in COVID-19. The olfactory function of 64 COVID-19 inpatients and 34 controls was evaluated using a questionnaire and a simple disposable odor identification test (SDOIT) developed for this study. Four SDOIT models were assessed: 10-SDOIT, 9-SDOIT, 8-SDOIT, and 4-SDOIT, with 10, 9, 8 and 4 samples, respectively. We found a high frequency of self-reported OD in COVID-19 patients, with 32.8% and 42.2% reporting current and recent OD, respectively. Different SDOIT models revealed smell impairment in 54.7–64.1% of COVID-19 patients. The combination of either 10-SDOIT results and self-reported OD, or 8-SDOIT results and self-reported OD, were the best predictors of COVID-19, both with an AUC value of 0.87 (0.85 and 0.86 for the age-matched subjects). OD is a common symptom of COVID-19. A combination of self-reported smell deterioration and OD psychophysically evaluated using SDOIT appears to be a good predictor of COVID-19.

EVALUATION OF OVARIAN RESERVE IN FEMALE INFERTILITY

INTRODUCTION: Infertility is not uncommon amongst females in reproductive age group. Different hormones like antimullerian hormone (AmH) and FSH levels are expression of ovarian function. The changes in AmH level precedes FSH level variation in detecting decline in ovarian function. METHOD : In our study, we have assessed AmH level in different age groups of females suffering from infertility to evaluate ovarian reserve in them. RESULT : Our study shows that with advancing age ovarian function declines as evidenced by decrease in AmH level causing female infertility. CONCLUSION : AmH level estimation is an important tool to assess ovarian reserve in female infertility. It is a simple, less expensive and reliable test before further investigations to nd out other etiologies of infertility