Targeted point-of-care testing compared with syndromic management of urogenital infections in women

Discussion
,
1

Please see this article that compares targeted POC testing with WHO syndromic management of urogenital infections in Rwanda. Limitations of syndromic management include its lack of specificity, leading to overtreatment in many cases. In this study, treatment based on point-of-care tests reduced overtreatment by approximately 50% for N gonorrhoeae and C trachomatis and 42% for T vaginalis. The study suggests that point-of-care tests are more sensitive and specific compared with syndromic management, and that their use is feasible in resource-poor settings.