Please find our new paper on lessons learned from a research study on how POC diagnostics for TB and HIV are being developed and made to work at point of care.
https://gh.bmj.com/content/5/11/e003457
there are take away lessons per development phase and a list of suggestions on how alignment to the point of care could be strengthened.
From the summary statements:
- This paper breaks new ground in that it offers a juxtaposition of different viewpoints of how diagnostics are made and implemented spanning both upstream and downstream innovation processes.
- Fitting diagnostics to the point-of-care requires addressing variable, shifting and hard to access end-users and involves alignment work by developers and implementers across different settings that extend beyond the setting of intended use.
- The development process required for these devices is iterative, which is in conflict with the traditional evaluation procedures in global health.
What do the new findings imply?
- Creating more and new forms of funding for continuous needs assessment as well as welcoming spaces to safely engage with a variety of user needs and build relationships.
- It is essential to think general infrastructure strengthening and innovation of affordable and available diagnostic technologies together to bridge the disconnect between developers and implementers.
- Creating more flexibility in evaluation practices to respond to changes in the field and design iterations and to broaden the evidence-base for regulatory decisions to include considerations of access and user perspectives.
Comments and reactions are more than welcome.
with best wishes,
Nora