Strategic Point-of-Care Requirements of Hospitals and Public Health for Preparedness in Regions At Risk.

OBJECTIVES: To study health resources and point-of-care (POC) testing requirements for urgent, emergency, and disaster care in Phang Nga Province, Thailand; to determine instrument design specifications through a direct needs assessment survey; to describe POC test menus useful in the small-world network; and to assess strategies for preparedness following the 2004 Tsunami. METHODS: We surveyed medical professionals in community hospitals, a regional hospital, and the Naval Base Hospital; and officials at the offices of Provincial Public Health and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Questions covered: a) demographics and test requirements, b) POC needs, c) device design specifications, and d) pathogen detection options. Respondents scored choices. Scores determined priorities. RESULTS: Respondents selected complete blood count, electrolytes/chemistry, blood type, oxygen saturation (by pulse oximeter), hematocrit, and microbiology as top priorities, and preferred direct blood sampling with cassettes. Cardiac biomarkers were important in alternate care facilities. Staphylococcus aureus, SARS, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and hepatitis B were top infectious disease problems. Temperature, vibration, humidity, and impact shock were four important environmental conditions during extreme conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Point-of-care testing can be used on a daily basis for competency and efficiency. Familiarity improves preparedness. Instrument designs must anticipate user preferences and environment stresses. The results show how a region at risk can adapt its small-world network. Point-of-care testing has become an important risk-reducing modality for crises and works equally well in low-resource settings to speed the delivery of routine and urgent care.

Enhancing crisis standards of care using innovative point-of-care testing.

OBJECTIVE: To identify strategies with tactics that enable point-of-care (POC) testing (medical testing at or near the site of care) to effectively improve outcomes in emergencies, disasters, and public health crises, especially where community infrastructure is compromised. DESIGN: Logic model-critical path-feedback identified needs for improving practices. Reverse stress analysis showed POC should be integrated, responders should be properly trained, and devices should be staged in small-world networks (SWNs). First responder POC resources were summarized, test clusters were strategized, assay environmental vulnerabilities were assessed, and tactics useful for SWNs, alternate care facilities, shelters, point-of-distribution centers, and community hospitals were designed. PARTICIPANTS AND ENVIRONMENT: Emergency-disaster needs assessment survey respondents and Center experience. OUTCOMES: Important tactics are as follows: a) develop training/education courses and '"just-in-time" on-line web resources to ensure the competency of POC coordinators and high-quality testing performance; b) protect equipment from environmental extremes by sealing reagents, by controlling temperature and humidity to which they are exposed, and by establishing near-patient testing in defined environments that operate within current Food and Drug Administration licensing claims (illustrated with human immunodeficiency virus-1/2 tests); c) position testing in defined sites within SWNs and other environments; d) harden POC devices and reagents to withstand wider ranges of environmental extremes in field applications; e) promote new POC technologies for pathogen detection and other assays, per needs assessment results; and f) select tests according to mission objectives and value propositions. CONCLUSIONS: Careful implementation of POC testing will facilitate evidence-based triage, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of victims and patients, while advancing standards of care in emergencies and disasters, as well as public health crises.