Summary: A new report shows that remote, on-site pathology tests for infectious diseases in rural and remote areas can be as reliable and accurate as hospital lab testing.
Takeaways:
- Point-of-care testing (POCT) for SARS-CoV-2 in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia demonstrated equivalent quality to laboratory tests, ensuring reliable diagnostics.
- The POCT program significantly contributed to reducing COVID-19 infections and healthcare costs in these communities by providing immediate and accessible testing.
- The program’s success highlights the importance of well-designed and externally accredited quality assessment programs for effective disease management in remote areas.
On-site pathology tests for infectious diseases in rural and remote locations can be just as reliable and accurate as tests carried out in a hospital laboratory, a new report from Flinders University shows.
Flinders University researchers tested the quality of on-site pathology testing, or point-of-care testing (POCT), for molecular-based, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in over 100 remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.
“Our study demonstrates that when point-of-care testing models are effectively established and managed, the quality of pathology results can be equivalent to laboratory tests, and the benefits for patients are overwhelmingly evident,” says Susan Matthews, PhD, from the International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing at Flinders University.
Improving Diagnostics in Australia
“In Australia, POC testing supports hard-to-reach patients, including Indigenous communities in rural and remote areas, where long distances and social and cultural factors can prevent individuals from getting tested, meaning that infectious diseases can often be left untreated,” she says. “The high prevalence among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of infectious diseases like COVID-19, has consolidated demand for point-of-care diagnostic solutions particularly due to their cost-effectiveness, accessibility and ability to deliver immediate results.”
Testing for COVID-19
The report assessed analytical quality in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander COVID-19 Point-of-Care (POC) Testing Program in Australia which was launched in April 2020 to improve access to rapid molecular-based SARS-CoV-2 detection in remote communities.
“The program reached 105 communities across Australia and was found to have contributed to averting a significant number of COVID-19 infections, resulting in substantial cost savings to the healthcare system,” says Matthews.
The analytical quality of the COVID-19 testing was supported by a robust operator training program and the implementation of a customised External Quality Assessment (EQA) program, the latter developed in partnership with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP).
“The EQA program allowed us to assess the accuracy and reliability of the COVID-19 test results and confirmed the technical competency of the trained remote health service POCT operators. Our findings highlight an ongoing need for well-designed, cost effective and externally accredited EQA programs, not just for SARS-CoV-2 but also for other diseases that require POC testing,” she added. “The COVID-19 program has now been expanded to include testing for Influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as SARS-CoV-2 and has the potential to stem acute and infectious diseases in rural and remote areas whilst saving the government billions of dollars in health costs.”
POCT was first introduced to remote health centres in 1999 through the Quality Assurance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medical Services (QAAMS) Program, which the Flinders University International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing continues to manage on behalf of the Australian Government.
The paper, External Quality Assessment (EQA) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA Point-of-Care Testing in Primary Healthcare Services: Analytical Performance over Seven EQA Cycles by Susan J. Matthews, Kelcie Miller, Kelly Andrewartha, Melisa Milic, Deane Byers, Peter Santosa, Alexa Kaufer, Kirsty Smith, Louise M. Causer, Belinda Hengel, Ineka Gow, Tanya Applegate, William D. Rawlinson, Rebecca Guy and Mark Shephard, was published this week in Diagnostics, DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14111106
