As the outbreak of swine flu continues to proliferate, doctors and hospitals have been turning to rapid quick tests in order to determine in just mere minutes whether an "anxious patient has the swine flu.

Unfortunately, Dr. Christine Ginocchio of the North Shore-LongIsland Jewish Health System, has found the tests to be flawed and with severe limitations.

The tests, according to Dr. Ginocchio, fail more than half the time to detect the swine flu which often causes a doctor to not prescribe important, possibly life-saving drugs.

Nevertheless, some doctors believe there is no better way to quickly determine whether a patient has the swine flu.

According to the New York Times, "more accurate tests are available but they generally require sophisticated laboratories. And results might not come for a day or more, making the tests of little use in deciding whether to prescribe drugs like Tamiflu."

To read the full article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/06flu.html?_r=1&ref=health