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30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
 A great time saver--so long as your pediatrician is on board with this kind of home testing Jan 31, 2010
By Jojoleb
"jojoleb"
The Rapid Response Strep-A Test kit is similar to the kits used in doctors' offices for the rapid confirmation of strep throat. If your pediatrician is on board with this kind of home testing, this kit can be invaluable and save a lot of trips to the doctor. Although this is a relatively simple test, it may be a little daunting for some parents.
The kit is relatively simple as these things go and comes with everything you need to do the test, except for flash lights and the (optional) tongue depressor. First you mix four drops of solution A and Solution B in the provided, plastic test tube. Then comes the most difficult part of the testing--swabbing the throat. You have to be careful to swab both tonsils and the back of the throat, but need to avoid the rest of the mouth because this can lead to a false positive test. Once this is done you agitate the swab in the test tube and let it sit for a minute. You then remove the swab, squeezing the plastic tube to ensure that most of the liquid has been squeezed from the swab. You then place in the test strip, large side down, and wait five minutes. If you see two lines on the the test strip, you have strep throat. One line, you're strep free.
Once you get the result of the test, you can call your pediatrician and inform them of the results. If the test is negative, your child probably has a virus and you may be advised to wait 48 hours or so to see if it has passed. If the test is positive, you may need bring the child in for a formal throat culture and start antibiotics. Once again, you need to make sure that your pediatrician is comfortable with this kind of home testing. Unless you are a medical professional, you shouldn't make medical decisions based on this test alone.
Using this test with the help of our pediatrician's office has decreased the number of trips we take with our children. If the child has a virus, we call and so long as it is okay with the doctor, we wait and see if the symptoms subside. If the test is positive, we call and are usually told to come in for the throat culture and a prescription for antibiotics. Given that most of the time the children have viruses, this test has saved us a lot of time.
As with all such tests, you have to make sure that you follow the directions carefully. You must also make sure that the test strips are not beyond their expiration date. The kit is fairly straight forward, but I have to imaging that there must be an easier or more clever way to construct it so that their were fewer steps involved. Even so, it's not so difficult once you get the hang of it.
Once again, this test should only be used as directed by your doctor and a doctor's advice should always be obtained before making a decision as to what to do. (There are a lot of things besides strep throat that can cause symptoms.) It may be tempting, but you should also avoid using antibiotics without first seeking advice from your doctor. (We all have some 'left over' antibiotics somewhere in the medicine chest, but you need to be certain that you are using the right medication for the right purpose.) But so long as you are comfortable doing this test at home and have your doctor's blessing, it can be a real time saver...
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Expired Quickly Nov 03, 2009
By Jenny
We had several cases of confirmed strep through my daycare over the summer, so I bought these test kits to pre-screen the kids so the parents wouldn't have to run to the doctor when they had no reason, other than exposure, to suspect strep. I never got a positive result (other than with the control), so I never managed to get a doctor's office to confirm the accuracy of my results. (I've never been entirely confident in my ability to swab the throat correctly.)
My big issue is that I used half the tests, and now (approximately 6 months later) the rest are expired. I'm totally bummed...I expected to use them through the season, but now they're no good. It definitely saved me many hours and co-pays at the doctor's office, so for that, it was well worth the money.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 easy and accurate Nov 26, 2010
By 610lisa
My daughter had strep 8 times last year-- and now, once post tonsillectomy. Every positive from this kit was confirmed by doc - saved us a ton of time & money by testing rest of family. Just follow instructions carefully and it works--My doc said it is the same as the kit that they use in their office.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Worth every penny and ACCURATE! May 12, 2011
By Jessica Leonard
I have three kids and we have a high deductible insurance plan. We seemed to pick up a lot of strep this year, so it was great to be able to give them the test at home before deciding to take them to the doctor (which cost $120/visit!). We had both positive and negative results. I love these babies and they saved me money at the doctor!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
It works, price is good, what more can I ask for? Jul 05, 2009
By Anne
"Anne"
The price was good, the kit was packed neatly and compactly with all the parts needed, and it works!
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