COVID-19 Testing Sample Acquisition Throughput and Efficiency

Completed

• Conditions: Personal Protective Equipment; SARS-CoV Infection; Respiratory Viral Infection; Covid19
• Interventions: Other: Personal Protective Testing Booth

• Registration Number: NCT04532411
• Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital

Brief Summary

This QI project seeks to evaluate the relative test sample acquisition throughput, personal protective equipment utilization, and relative operational costs of provider-administered COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) nasal samples with and with the use of HEPA-filtered, positive pressure isolation booths.

Detailed Description

Beginning in March 2020, the MGH began outpatient testing for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) utilizing a provider-administered nasal swab samples. This was administered with infection control protocols utilizing full PPE protection for health providers who would don and doff gowns and gloves with each sample acquisition. With an aim to decrease PPE usage and increase efficiency, personal protective booths with HEPA-filtered air called "Hexapods" were employed, after infection control approval, within the MGH system beginning on April 16, 2020.

Ambulatory Care Management at MGH systematically monitors testing completed and PPE usage on a weekly basis. Managers in charge of personnel changes shared necessary team structures and median salaries for different personnel involved with sample acquisition. MGH Materials management were able to report on costs related to consumable supplies used during testing.

In this investigation, this routinely collected data and averaged timed sample collection observations were used to compare before and after the Hexapod utilization.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-03-01
• Study First Submitted: 2020-08-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-08-27
• Study First Posted: 2020-08-31
• Primary Completion: 2020-09-30
• Study Completion: 2020-09-30
• Status Verified: 2021-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-10-19
• Last Update Posted: 2023-10-23

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 28948

Inclusion Criteria

• All testing performed at designated outpatient SARS-CoV-2 at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) testing sites beginning March 2019.

Exclusion Criteria

• SARS-CoV-2 tests performed not performed within designated outpatient testing sites at MGH.
• Testing performed within the hospital for Emergency Department or Inpatient visits.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Post-Booth Testing	Personal Protective Testing Booth	This cohort was comprised of samples acquired as a component of outpatient SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) testing after implementation of the Hexapod personal protective booths.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Cost per Test After Hexapod Implementation	Up to 22 weeks	The difference in costs of collecting test samples before and after hexapod utilization will be calculated.
Change in Testing Throughput After Hexapod Implementation	Up to 22 weeks	Samples acquired per hour using the Hexapod booth will be assessed as an average over a minimum of 12 weeks of testing compared to baseline throughput before April 16th.
Change in Isolation Gowns Utilized After Hexapod Utilization	Up to 22 weeks	Gowns utilized per test will be assessed as an average over a minimum of 12 weeks of testing compared to baseline throughput before April 16th.
Return on Investment	Up to 22 weeks	The retail cost of the Hexapod booth will be divided by the average daily cost differential for testing observed and at maximum volume.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Testing Personnel Cost Per Test	Up to 22 weeks	The difference in median shift salaries before and after Hexapod implementation will be calculated.
Change in Cost of Isolation Gowns Utilized	Up to 22 weeks	Outcome 2 will be utilized to calculate the range of the change in cost of isolation gowns utilized compared to baseline usage for samples acquired before April 16th utilizing actual and quoted costs of gowns to Materials Management at MGH.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States