The global demand for point-of-care testing (POCT) for diagnosing infectious diseases is growing. Bringing the test directly to the person needing the result greatly reduces the turn-around-time between sample acquisition to result reporting. This can have a positive impact on preventing the spread of infection, correctly and adequately treating the infection, as well as provide critically needed surveillance data for your community. However, performing POCT outside of clinical or public health laboratories where highly trained personnel working in an environment steeped in quality control/quality assurance and proficiency testing requirements can be challenging. Working with lab directors and personnel with the goals of generating helpful training materials and increase the awareness around quality and test accuracy are key elements to the success of POCT. These challenges and their solutions will be discussed along with the criteria to keep in mind when designing POCT that can be successfully implemented. Lastly, we will discuss some of the newest designs and technological advances in POCT for infectious disease diagnosis, including molecular-based platforms and the impact these devices can have on global health.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Discuss applications available for infectious disease POCT.

2. Review WHO's ASSURED criteria that should be used in developing POCT devices.

3. Identify the newest technologies being used in designing POCT.