Lateral flow testing during the Covid pandemic was extremely useful in mitigating the spread of infections. However, the methods of sampling and lower sensitivity of the assays were not universally accepted by everybody, especially as the tests relied on self-testing. The quality of the sampling and the subjective interpretation of the results by the self-tester led to ambiguous results. The lower sensitivity problem was minimised by regular testing (every 2 days) such that as antigenic levels increased, infection would be detected. However, looking forward, it is reasonable that innovations will lead to more sensitive tests being developed. The public is used to self-testing now and there is an opportunity to expand the use of lateral flow tests in the future for many different disease states other than Covid. Whilst the low cost of lateral flow tests must be maintained for their successful use in the home, enhancements through amplification techniques and objective digital analysis of the results will be needed in the future. Such developments will feature in future posts.
