There is a certain cohort (namely young patients without any...

There is a certain cohort (namely young patients without any morbidity) that present to tertiary ED that get a clinical assessment, but do not always warrant blood or imaging investigation (bood testing often takes >2 hours to return due to backlogs and we try not to radiate our youth when possible).

The hospitals I am familiar with no longer perform RAT testing, but perform 4plex rapid PCR testing (which solely assess for Covid/ Flu A&B/ RSV) but again takes 2 hours to return mostly due to lab backlogs).

Patients are returned to the ED waiting room after assessment to await tests if requested.

In an overrun ED with a full waiting room I can see Febridx being used to purely get people out the door with some rapid objective data.

While not good medicine, patients themselves often also want some form of objective evidence, which this could potentially be.

For sicker patients being considered for admission we would not just rely on a test such as Febridex, but rather a full blood count, a chest XR, a 4Plex rapid PCR test +/- extended viral panel(which tests for 4 more types of common viruses and returning overnight) +/- a qantitative CRP.

Febridx could potentially add addtional information, MxA. There are many other viruses we dont rest for that this could help suggest it was, but I think there would only be a very small cohort where my other tests didn't already determine a treatment path.

Regional hospitals(some a big as a 100 beds) survive on POC testing particularly overnight. Even blood tests are done via a POC blood gas machines and no XR capability overnight. I can certianly see a lot of use there.

Just my two cents and I have no idea if American hospitals work the same way.