SPEX Practice Test 8
10 free SPEX practice questions in the real exam format, covering the official content areas, with an explanation for every answer.
Question 1 of 10
Systems-based Practice/Patient Safety and Practice-based LearningAbstract: Accuracy of a rapid point-of-care influenza antigen test in adults
Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of a rapid point-of-care antigen test for influenza in adults with acute respiratory illness.
Design: Prospective diagnostic accuracy study.
Setting: Three urban emergency departments during the peak 8 weeks of an influenza season.
Participants: 1000 consecutive adults with fever and cough of less than 72 hours' duration.
Interventions: Each participant had two nasopharyngeal swabs collected at the same time: one for the rapid antigen test and one for reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the reference standard. Staff reading each test were blinded to the other result.
Main Outcome Measures: Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the rapid test.
Results: RT-PCR was positive in 300 participants (30%). Results are shown in the table.
Conclusions: The rapid antigen test is highly specific and can help confirm influenza in adults in the emergency department during peak season.
| Rapid test result | RT-PCR positive | RT-PCR negative | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | 240 | 35 | 275 |
| Negative | 60 | 665 | 725 |
| Total | 300 | 700 | 1000 |
Which of the following is the sensitivity of the rapid antigen test in this study?