According to ECRI, an independent, non-profit patient safety organization certain COVID-19 home test kits are simpler to use than others.
ECRI assessed seven COVID-19 antigen tests, which are available to purchase online and in retail stores from December.
The company stated that none of the tests were evaluated as “excellent” in terms usability, while others had “noteworthy usability issues.”
If a test is difficult to use, “chances are that you might miss a step, not follow the correct procedure, or even contaminate the testing area and that could affect the accuracy of the test and result in a wrong test result,” Marcus Schabacker, MD PhD the president and CEO of ECRI said to Medscape Medical News.
ECRI utilized the industry-standard system usability scale (SUS) to gauge usability. This scale scores products on a scale from zero to 100 and 100 being the most difficult to use.
The top and bottom scores were separated by more than 30 points. The top performer was On/Go followed by CareStart and Flowflex.
| Test | Rating | Score (0 to 100) |
|---|---|---|
| On/Go (Intrivo) | Very Good | 82.9 |
| CareStart (Access Bio). | Very Good | 80.8 |
| Flowflex (ACON Labs) | Very Good | 79.5 |
| QuickVue (Quidel). | Good | 75.6 |
| BinaxNOW (Abbott) | Good | 73.3 |
| InteliSwab (OraSure). | Good | 73.3 |
| BD Veritor (Becton Dickinson) | Okay (marginally acceptable). | 51.8 |
ECRI analysts have discovered that some tests require very fine motor skills or instructions with a very small fonts that can make it hard for seniors or those who have health conditions that are complex to take the tests in a proper manner.
“If you suffer from Parkinson’s tremors or any other health condition that makes it difficult for you to hold objects of a small size it is possible that you will have difficulty doing the test yourself. Schabacker stated that this is our primary issue.
“The second concern is readability. The tests have very few instructions. He also pointed out that one of the tests doesn’t come with instructions, and you must download an application.
Schabacker acknowledged that there might not be a choice between tests, and that consumers could have to rely upon whatever test is available, based on demand and supply issues.
He added that these tests are a “hot commodity right in the moment.”
“If you are faced with a choice, people should use the ones which are the easiest to use, that is the On/Go, the CareStart, or the Flowflex,” he said.
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