Enhancing the Urgent Care Patient Experience with In-House PCR

For urgent care facilities that choose to integrate in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology into their workflows, they can attain improvements in diagnostic accuracy, time-to-diagnosis, and antibiotic stewardship. 

While these changes have obvious advantages for the urgent cares themselves, the ones who often benefit the most are the patients themselves. Let’s dive in to how the technological advancements afforded by PCR directly translate into improved patient care and satisfaction.

Faster and More Accurate Diagnosis Leads to Reduced Discomfort

One of the most obvious benefits of in-house PCR testing is the speed at which an accurate diagnosis can be made. Traditional diagnostic methods like cultures can take days to yield results, while rapid antigen tests leave much to be desired in terms of accuracy. 

In contrast, PCR testing can not only provide results in under two hours, it can do so with high levels of sensitivity. Rapid and accurate turnaround is mission-critical in urgent care settings where timely treatment can drastically impact patient outcomes. 

For instance, one review of literature found that the use of PCR for chlamydia testing “resulted in nearly three-fold greater rates of disease detection and treatment relative to standard care.”1 This is just one example of how providers can leverage PCR to capture diagnoses that might otherwise be missed and offer patients targeted treatment that can actually alleviate their symptoms.

Accurate Diagnosis Can Minimize Repeat Visits

In urgent cares, prescribing is often based on syndromic presentation and rapid antigen testing. And while rapid tests can furnish quick results, they face significant limitations in sensitivity. For example, the CDC recognizes the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests for influenza can be as low as 50-70%,2 whereas the accuracy of PCR is shown in some research to be as high as 98%.3 PCR tests also have the added benefit of being able to detect the presence of multiple pathogens simultaneously. 

The combined effect of these accuracy advantages means a higher likelihood of being able to isolate the right infective agent in the first encounter, leading to fewer follow-up visits for the same complaint, and potentially reducing the need for latent hospitalizations. This not only saves patients discomfort, time, and money but also reduces their frustration over unknown or drawn-out diagnoses.

Improved Patient Outcomes Drives Increased Loyalty

PCR gained a substantial reputation for speedy accuracy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In practice, this means that patients often feel more confident over PCR-backed diagnoses, with the assurance that a tried-and-true diagnostic tool was used to enhance their provider’s clinical expertise and decision-making.

While there may be limited research which indicates that the use of PCR leads to higher patient loyalty, it isn’t a stretch to conclude that patients would return to the urgent care where they’ve previously received rapidly-targeted antibiotic therapy and experienced tangible results for their illness.

PCR Demonstrates a Commitment to Patient Well-being

Implementing in-house PCR testing is a powerful way to demonstrate an urgent care facility's commitment to leveraging advanced technology for the benefit of its patients. An urgent care making such an investment shows the community that it prioritizes laser-like precision and is concerned with delivering the highest levels of care. 

This is the kind of commitment that doesn’t go unnoticed by patients and lends powerfully towards the urgent care’s reputation in the local environment. The adoption of in-house PCR remains a competitive advantage in the urgent care landscape, which allows facilities to differentiate from the surrounding market with their utilization of this advanced technology. 

Conclusion

In-house PCR testing in urgent care facilities enhances the patient experience by providing faster and more accurate diagnoses, which has the potential to reduce repeat visits, suffering, and patient frustration. By demonstrating their commitment to powerful tools like PCR, urgent care centers can significantly boost patient satisfaction and loyalty. Embracing PCR technology isn’t just a diagnostics upgrade - it’s a strategic move to improve care outcomes and the experience of the patients themselves.


Click the banner below to find out how Streamline Scientific can help setup in-house PCR testing.

References:
1. Yang S, Rothman RE. PCR-based diagnostics for infectious diseases: uses, limitations, and future applications in acute-care settings. Lancet Infect Dis. 2004 Jun;4(6):337-48. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(04)01044-8. PMID: 15172342; PMCID: PMC7106425.

2. Overview of influenza testing methods | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/diagnosis/overview-testing-methods.htm

3. Maignan M, Viglino D, Hablot M, Termoz Masson N, Lebeugle A, Collomb Muret R, Mabiala Makele P, Guglielmetti V, Morand P, Lupo J, Forget V, Landelle C, Larrat S. Diagnostic accuracy of a rapid RT-PCR assay for point-of-care detection of influenza A/B virus at emergency department admission: A prospective evaluation during the 2017/2018 influenza season. PLoS One. 2019 May 7;14(5):e0216308. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216308. PMID: 31063477; PMCID: PMC6504036.