A recent study in Maryland found that self-administered BinaxNow COVID-19 rapid tests are as accurate as those done by a healthcare provider. The research was conducted by the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital and Johns Hopkins University. They compared the accuracy of Abbott’s BinaxNOW home test with tests done by a healthcare provider and a lab-based test from February to July 2022. The study included 953 participants.
The study found that the accuracy of the self-administered and healthcare provider-administered tests were similar. Accuracy refers to how well the test identifies those with and without the disease. The World Health Organization’s minimum accuracy standard for people with symptoms is 80%. The study’s results were published in Microbiology Spectrum.
However, the study also found that self-tests might have a higher rate of incorrect results. This could be due to mistakes in sample collection or interpretation of results. Of the 177 positive COVID-19 tests, 145 were correctly identified as positive. Nine infections were missed by participants but correctly identified by staff. Twenty-two cases were missed by both participants and staff.