What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cohort. Population: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection in adults with Lower Respiratory Tract Disease (LRTD) (n=2309842). Intervention: RSV testing vs. Influenza testing. Primary outcome: Occurrence of a standard-of-care RSV or influenza test.

What does this research mean for the field?

RSV testing among U.S. adult outpatients remains infrequent, with only 2.73% of lower respiratory tract infection encounters being tested for RSV compared to 15.1% for influenza. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONFIRMATORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess the rates of RSV testing among U.S. adults with lower respiratory tract diseases from 2017 to 2024.

February 2, 2026Infectious Diseases and Therapy0 citationsOpen Access

Outpatient RSV Testing Rates Among US Adults with Lower Respiratory Tract Disease, 2017–2024

KPKatherine K. Perez KDKashmira Date NANegar Aliabadi

Key Result

RSV testing among U.S. adult outpatients remains infrequent, with only 2.73% of LRTI encounters being tested for RSV compared to 15.1% for influenza.

Key Points

To assess the rates of RSV testing among U.S. adults with lower respiratory tract diseases from 2017 to 2024.
Analyzed outpatient RSV testing data from 2017 to 2024.
Focused on adults diagnosed with COPD and CHF exacerbations.
Identified trends in testing frequency over the specified years.
RSV testing rates increased but remained low among U.S. adult outpatients.
Testing rates were particularly lower in adults with COPD or CHF exacerbations.
Lack of specific RSV treatment options may hinder more frequent testing.

Study Design

Type

Cohort (n=2,309,842)

Structured PICO

Population

2,309,842 United States adults ≥18 years old seen in outpatient settings for lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) (n=2,208,009 encounters), COPD exacerbations (n=396,891 events), or CHF exacerbations (n=422,648 events) from August 2017 to March 2024.

Outcome

Occurrence of a standard-of-care RSV or influenza test during the 7-day LRTI encounter or 3-day exacerbation windows

RSV testing remains highly underutilized in US adult outpatients with LRTI, COPD, or CHF exacerbations compared to influenza testing, highlighting a gap in clinical practice that may obscure the true burden of RSV.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 2.73% vs 15.1%

Limitations

Testing rates varied significantly by geography, age group, and insurance type, making it difficult to generalize findings to all outpatient settings.

Abstract

Despite increases over time, RSV testing remains infrequent among U.S. adult outpatients. This is particularly true among adults with COPD or CHF exacerbations, where RSV should be part of the differential diagnosis. Infrequent testing may reflect lack of specific RSV treatment options.

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