The following is a summary of “Point-of-care testing in private pharmacy and drug retail settings: a narrative review,” published in the August 2023 issue of Infectious Disease by Chan et al.
Utilizing Point-of-care testing (POCT) with rapid diagnostic tests in private pharmacies can guide antimicrobial use, curbing resistance and optimizing healthcare resources while reducing public healthcare load. Researchers conducted a narrative review focusing on POCTs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). They investigated these tests’ adoption, treatment effects, and implementation feasibility.
They scoured MEDLINE/PubMed for interventional studies regarding the utilization of POCT for infectious diseases in private retail settings by personnel. Two independent reviewers then extracted and analyzed the data.
The results showed 848 studies; 23 were reviewed, primarily focusing on malaria (19/23), malaria and pneumonia (3/23), and respiratory tract infection (1/23). Included were nine randomized controlled studies, four controlled non-randomized studies, five uncontrolled interventions, one interventional pre-post study, one cross-over interventional study, and three retrospective analyses of RCTs. Despite weak study quality, findings demonstrated successful POCT implementation, enhancing proper treatment adherence per guidelines. Private retail settings embraced POCT despite health worker concerns, emphasizing structured training, waste management, community awareness, financial incentives, and healthcare integration.
They concluded that POCT can be implemented successfully in private retail settings in LMICs, but more research is needed.
Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-023-08480-w
