From timely therapeutic interventions to system-wide bottom lines, most downstream outcomes across the respiratory care continuum trace back to sample sensitivity. In a recent article for MedCity News, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Wadman broke down why healthcare leaders should start paying closer attention to this frequently overlooked diagnostic metric.
Dr. Wadman emphasized that the amount of pathogen-containing material captured in the first step of the diagnostic chain — sample collection — is often the difference between a confirmed infection and a missed case. He illustrated the anatomical limitations of swab-based sampling, noting the importance of gathering specimens from regions in the nasopharynx that swabs typically miss to support specific pathogen identification and reduce false negatives.
Additionally, Dr. Wadman outlined the advantages of evolved nasal lavage solutions like MicroWash delivering up to 49% greater sample sensitivity compared to nasal swabs. More representative samples improve diagnostic confidence for providers, PCR consistency for labs, treatment clarity for patients and overall clinical accuracy for stronger outbreak response.
Dr. Wadman is a veteran emergency physician with 30+ years of clinical experience who holds tenured professor and endowed chair positions at University of Nebraska Medical Center and is the Medical Director of the National Quarantine Unit, the only federally supported unit in the U.S. His emergency medicine and infectious disease experience drive medical excellence in device development for University Medical Devices.
Read the full article and learn more about Dr. Wadman.
