Health Information and Quality Authority, Dublin, Ireland.
Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
Rev Med Virol. 2022 Sep;32(5):e2350. doi: 10.1002/rmv.2350. Epub 2022 Mar 29.
Rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) offer advantages over gold-standard reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests in that they are cheaper and provide faster results, thus enabling prompt isolation of positive SARS-CoV-2 cases and quarantine of close contacts. The aim of this study was to collate and synthesise empirical evidence on the effectiveness of rapid antigen testing for the screening (including serial testing) and surveillance of asymptomatic individuals to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. A rapid review was undertaken in MEDLINE (EBSCO), EMBASE (OVID), Cochrane Library, Europe PMC and Google Scholar up until 19 July 2021, supplemented by a grey literature search. Of the identified 1222 records, 19 reports referring to 16 studies were included. Eight included studies examined the effectiveness of RADTs for population-level screening, four for pre-event screening and four for serial testing (schools, a prison, a university sports programme and in care homes). Overall, there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of rapid antigen testing for the screening of asymptomatic individuals to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. This uncertainty is due to the inconsistent results, the relatively low number of studies identified, the predominantly observational and/or uncontrolled nature of the study designs used, and concerns regarding methodological quality. Given this uncertainty, more real-world research evidence in relevant settings, which is of good quality and timely, as well as economic evaluation, is required to inform public policy on the widespread use of RADTs in asymptomatic individuals.
快速抗原检测（RADT）相对于金标准逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）具有优势，因为它们更便宜，并且能够更快地提供结果，从而能够迅速隔离 SARS-CoV-2 阳性病例并对密切接触者进行隔离。本研究旨在综合和综合有关快速抗原检测用于筛查（包括连续检测）和无症状个体监测以限制 SARS-CoV-2 传播的有效性的经验证据。截至 2021 年 7 月 19 日，在 MEDLINE（EBSCO）、EMBASE（OVID）、Cochrane 图书馆、Europe PMC 和 Google Scholar 中进行了快速审查，并补充了灰色文献搜索。在确定的 1222 条记录中，有 19 份报告涉及 16 项研究。其中 8 项研究评估了 RADT 对人群水平筛查的有效性，4 项研究评估了事前筛查的有效性，4 项研究评估了连续检测（学校、监狱、大学体育项目和疗养院）的有效性。总体而言，对于快速抗原检测用于筛查无症状个体以限制 SARS-CoV-2 传播的有效性存在不确定性。这种不确定性是由于结果不一致、确定的研究数量相对较少、所使用的研究设计主要是观察性和/或非对照性以及对方法学质量的担忧所致。鉴于这种不确定性，需要在相关环境中提供更多具有良好质量和及时性的真实世界研究证据，以及经济评估，以便为在无症状个体中广泛使用 RADT 提供公共政策依据。
