The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak spread rapidly, after being detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, causing nearly 3 million people to become infected worldwide within a short time. While some of the COVID-19 patients show no symptoms, in some patients they may progress as severe respiratory failure, high fever and severe cough. This feature of the disease also makes it difficult to identify infected patients. The researchers of the Near East University Experimental Health Sciences Research Center (DESAM) determined the most effective diagnostic methods used in the diagnosis of Covid-19 with the scientific study they have designed.
When a person carrying COVID-19 coughs, sneezes or speaks, the virus released in respiratory secretions can infect other people if they come into direct contact with the mucous membranes through the droplet. Also, touching the same surface with an infected person can cause the infection to spread. Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, patients need to be identified, isolated and treated as soon as possible. In this way, the rate of spread and mortality of the disease can be reduced. It is imperative that patients be diagnosed quickly and accurately for an effective treatment. However, wrong results can be obtained in the tests used to detect the disease. Therefore, if the first test is negative, it is recommended to repeat the test if the patient is suspected to have COVID-19.
Computed chest tomography (chest CT), naso/oropharyngeal swab PCR test, cell culture, COVID-19 antigen detection, COVID-19 IgM antibody test, COVID-19 IgG antibody test and chest x-ray are used in the detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. It is being exploited. These methods can give different results in the early and late stages of the disease according to their characteristics.
Near East University Experimental Health Sciences Research Center (DESAM) researchers Dr. Murat Sayan, Dr. Berna Uzun, Assist. Prof. Dr. İlker Özşahin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilber Uzun Özşahin, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ and Dr. Figen Sarıgül determined the most effective diagnostic methods by evaluating them to detect the disease. In the study, the diagnostic methods of COVID-19 disease were examined based on published evidence and clinical practice. The data were analyzed with fuzzy-PROMETHEE, which is one of the Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. The reliability of the results was tested with the fuzzy-TOPSIS method. These methods help to determine the best alternative mathematically by analyzing analytically all the criteria that are found important by the experts.
All existing techniques used in the diagnosis of COVID-19 were evaluated in the study and many criteria have been used…
In the analysis carried out by Near East University researchers, the most important factors such as sensitivity, specificity, cost, availability, probability of giving false positive or false negative results, suitability in all stages of the disease, education or equipment requirements were determined as the criteria for evaluating the techniques used in the diagnosis of COVID-19.
It was concluded that the sequencing results obtained by Fuzzy PROMETHEE and Fuzzy TOPSIS analysis confirmed each other and it was determined that the most effective method is the Computed Chest Tomography in the diagnosis of COVID-19, and the second most effective method is the naso/oropharyngeal swab PCR test. In addition, it was pointed out by the researchers that one method alone is not sufficient in the correct diagnosis of COVID-19, and it will be a correct approach to use more than one method in the context of the country.
The results of the research conducted by the researchers of the Near East University Experimental Health Sciences Research Center (DESAM) were sent to a scientific journal to be shared with the scientific world.