Point of Care Testing for Infectious Disease in Europe: A Scoping Review and Survey Study

Area of Science:

• Infectious disease diagnostics
• Public health management
• European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) policy

Background:

• Point of care testing (POCT) offers rapid infectious disease diagnosis near patients.
• Increasing accuracy and cost-effectiveness have driven POCT adoption.
• A comprehensive assessment of POCT for infectious diseases in the EU/EEA was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically assess the use of POCT for infectious diseases in EU/EEA countries.
• To evaluate POCT's role in both clinical and public health management.
• To identify current practices and potential for broader implementation.

Main Methods:

• A scoping literature review of POCT in EU/EEA countries up to November 2019.
• A survey distributed to key stakeholders across EU/EEA nations.
• Analysis of 350 articles and 54 survey responses from 26 countries.

Main Results:

• POCT is accessible for various infectious diseases in all surveyed EU/EEA countries.
• Commonly available POCT targets include influenza, HIV/AIDS, Legionnaires' disease, and malaria.
• POCT is infrequently utilized for public health functions such as disease surveillance and reporting.

Conclusions:

• POCT is implemented to varying degrees across all EU/EEA countries.
• The full public health benefits of POCT for infectious diseases are not yet achieved.
• Further research into barriers and facilitators for POCT implementation is recommended.