eprintid: 10144001
rev_number: 7
eprint_status: archive
userid: 699
dir: disk0/10/14/40/01
datestamp: 2022-05-16 13:45:56
lastmod: 2022-05-16 13:45:56
status_changed: 2022-05-16 13:45:56
type: working_paper
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 699
creators_name: Smith, Louise E
creators_name: Potts, Henry
creators_name: Amlôt, Richard
creators_name: Fear, Nicola T
creators_name: Michie, Susan
creators_name: Rubin, James
title: Do members of the public think they should use lateral flow tests or PCR tests when they have COVID-19-like symptoms?
ispublished: pub
divisions: C07
divisions: F66
divisions: B02
divisions: UCL
divisions: D05
divisions: G18
divisions: DD4
keywords: antigen testing, behaviour, COVID-19, knowledge, lateral flow devices, testing
note: This is an Open Access paper published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to investigate public use of lateral flow tests (LFT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests when experiencing key COVID-19 symptoms.
Study design: In this study, data from two waves of a cross-sectional nationally representative online survey (data collected 1 and 2 June, and 14 and 15 June 2021; n = 3665 adults aged ≥18 years living in England or Scotland) were used. /

Methods: We report data investigating which type of test, if any, the public think Government guidance asks people to use if they have COVID-19 symptoms. In people with key COVID-19 symptoms (high temperature / fever; new, continuous cough; loss of sense of smell; loss of taste), we also describe the uptake of testing, if any. /

Results: Ten percent of respondents thought Government guidance stated that they should take an LFT if symptomatic, whereas 18% of people thought that they should take a PCR test; 60% of people thought they should take both types of test (12% did not select either option). In people who were symptomatic, 32% reported taking a test to confirm whether they had COVID-19. Of these, 53% reported taking a PCR test and 44% reported taking an LFT. /

Conclusions: Despite Government guidance stating that anyone with key COVID-19 symptoms should complete a PCR test, a significant percentage of the population use LFT tests when symptomatic. Communications should emphasise the superiority of, and need for, PCR tests in people with symptoms.
date: 2022-02-01
publisher: OSF Preprints
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.07.023
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1940069
doi: 10.31219/osf.io/jz8kp
lyricists_name: Michie, Susan
lyricists_name: Potts, Henry
lyricists_id: SFMIC21
lyricists_id: HPOTT34
actors_name: Potts, Henry
actors_id: HPOTT34
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
place_of_pub: Charlottesville, VA, USA
pages: 5
citation:        Smith, Louise E;    Potts, Henry;    Amlôt, Richard;    Fear, Nicola T;    Michie, Susan;    Rubin, James;      (2022)    Do members of the public think they should use lateral flow tests or PCR tests when they have COVID-19-like symptoms?                    OSF Preprints: Charlottesville, VA, USA.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10144001/1/PCR%20vs%20LFT%20preprint%206-7-21.pdf