20.500.12556/RUL-154018 A simplified nasopharyngeal swab collection procedure for minimizing patient discomfort while retaining sample quality A nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) is the most frequently collected sample type when molecular diagnosis of respiratory viruses, including SARS CoV-2, is required. An optimal collection technique would provide sufficient sample quality for the diagnostic process and would minimize the discomfort felt by the patient. This study compares a simplified NPS collection procedure with only one rotation of the swab to a more standard procedure with five rotations. Swabs were collected from 76 healthy volunteers by the same healthcare professional on 2 consecutive days at a similar hour to minimize variability. The number of Ubiquitin C copy number per sample was measured by real-time quantitative PCR and patient discomfort was assessed by questionnaire. No statistically significant difference (p = 0.15) was observed in the Ubiquitin C copy number per sample between a NPS collected with one rotation (5.2 ± 0.6 log UBC number copies/sample) or five rotations (5.3 ± 0.5 log UBC number copies/sample). However, a statistically significant difference was observed in discomfort between these two procedures, the second being much more uncomfortable. Additional analysis of the results showed a weak correlation between discomfort and the number of human cells recovered (Spearman's rho = 0.202) and greater discomfort in younger people. The results of this study show that a NPS collected with one slow rotation has the same quality as a NPS collected with five rotations. However, the collection time is shorter and, most importantly, less unpleasant for patients. nasopharyngeal swab collection procedure sample quality discomfort score Ubiquitin C nazofaringealni bris postopek odvzema kakovost vzorca true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2024-01-19 12:13:52 2024-01-19 12:13:54 2024-01-20 03:43:25 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2023 0 0 4 str. Vol. 11, art. 1066934 2023 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 616-07 2296-2565 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1066934 146264835 fpubh-11-1066934_(1).pdf fpubh-11-1066934_(1).pdf 1 850AB2CC977DC926F01F34B22AF6EA74 a89a1261431aec316c3931fa352f770d9b5b7b92f9f40c52c8f438c0b1316b9d 8653d1c4-b6bc-11ee-b009-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=180147 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1066934/full 1 d65f3a9b-b6bb-11ee-b009-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=180146 Medicinska fakulteta 0 0 0