Sensitivity of COVID-19 rapid tests oversold, study suggests

A Cochrane review found generally lower sensitivity than stated in the product inserts.

Patients using home self-tests for COVID-19 are receiving “overly optimistic” suggestions of accuracy from the product inserts, a systematic review says.

This is “probably leading to flawed clinical and public health decision-making” by overestimating the tests’ sensitivity, according to the researchers from Australia, Canada and Germany. 

Their study used the results of a 2022 Cochrane review of COVID-19 RATs — a meta-analysis of over 100 studies that compared results from specific RATs to PCR test results. 

The research team compared Cochrane’s results to the product inserts of 22 tests covered by the review, although the majority were not listed by the TGA as available in Australia.

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