Project Overview
UnitedHealth Group study clears path for self-administered COVID-19 test, improving testing efficiency and protecting health care workers.
Organisation
Project Context
Simple, scalable patient-collected COVID-19 testing process is as effective as clinician-administered test, according to study of 500 OptumCare patients
Self-swab tests are being made available to patients with a doctor’s order at hospitals, clinics and testing facilities
Less-invasive testing is better tolerated by patients, reduces exposure for health care workers, and preserves personal protective equipment
FDA has updated its guidance based on UnitedHealth Group data to allow patients to self-administer swab tests for COVID-19
Project Innovation
A study led by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) Research & Development and OptumCare clinicians has demonstrated that a simple, self- collected test is as effective in identifying COVID-19 infections as the current clinician-collected test. Widespread adoption of this less invasive test will reduce exposure for health care workers and improve overall testing efficiency across the country.
The study found tests using self-administered swab tests accurately detected COVID-19 in more than 90% of positive patients, which is consistent with the clinician-administered test. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its guidance based on the UnitedHealth Group research, allowing patients nationwide to self-administer swab tests for COVID-19. The study, which was prepared for a major peer-reviewed medical journal, included nearly 500 patients at OptumCare facilities in Washington state.
Nasal swabs are extremely easy for anyone to self-collect, in any setting, so it's an excellent way to expand screening while reducing worker exposure
Design Challenge
“We know that broad, rapid and accurate testing is essential to addressing the COVID-19 crisis, yet the current clinician-administered process significantly limits testing capacity, puts frontline health care workers at risk of COVID-19 exposure, and is unpleasant for patients,” said study-lead Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, an infectious disease expert at The Everett Clinic, part of OptumCare. “Making simple, patient-administered testing widely available will substantially improve testing efficiency, while protecting health care workers and preserving urgently needed personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gowns and gloves.”
The current COVID-19 test regimen requires a trained health care worker to collect samples from deep inside the patient’s nasal cavity. The process requires the use of personal protective equipment, is uncomfortable for the patient, and puts unnecessary strain on the health care system. The patient-administered testing method is significantly less invasive, allowing patients to swab the front part of the nostril and mid-nose.
Social and Community-Oriented Design - Systems
Social design applies a design methodology and intervention to tighten the social fabric that holds us together. Addressing issues of social inequality, such as poverty or social isolation, social design is the pathway to a more just and sustainable society. Community-oriented design is a human-centered and participatory design practice that emphasises the betterment of local communities through the improvement of public facilities, equipment, identity and experience.
All systems are designed to serve a purpose – and that purpose is to serve people. Systems design optimises systems performance by systematically focusing on the human component - human capacities, abilities, limitations and aspirations.
More Details
