To speed up and increase screening but also to relieve medical biology laboratories, a decree of September 15 announced the decision of the Minister of Health: that of authorizing physiotherapists to perform nasopharyngeal sampling for Covid screening. -19.
Physiotherapists authorized to perform PCR tests
Faced with the multiplication of requests for RT-PCR tests, medical biology laboratories are overwhelmed. This is why the authorities announced, in a decree of September 15 published in the Official Journal on September 16, the addition of physiotherapists to the list of health professionals authorized to perform Covid-19 screening tests.
In the text, we can read: “ Considering, in certain areas, the risk of insufficient availability of health professionals authorized to carry out the examination of “detection of the Sars-CoV-2 genome by RT PCR” registered in the nomenclature of medical biology acts to deal with the health crisis; whereas it is therefore necessary to authorize the physiotherapists to take a biological sample for this examination. “
As a reminder, on July 24, the list had already been extended to students in dentistry, pharmacy and midwifery, nursing aides, state-certified nurses, firefighters, marine firefighters and rescue workers. approved civil security associations with adequate training in first aid. Since yesterday and on the decision of Olivier Véran, Minister of Health, the nasopharyngeal sample can thus be carried out by a state-certified masseur-physiotherapist.
One condition: having completed training
To perform the PCR test, the decree provides that physiotherapists must ” have taken specific training in carrying out the examination in accordance with the recommendations of the French Society of Microbiology “. Training should also be provided by a physician or medical biologist. In practice, physiotherapists will be able to go directly to laboratories in a saturated situation or to perform nasopharyngeal samples in their practice and at home.
On the patient side, PCR tests are free and without a prescription. Indeed, Covid-19 screenings are fully covered by Health Insurance. The patient must simply present his vital card and mention “EXO-DIV” for coverage under compulsory health insurance.
