Assessing Point-of-Care Device Specifications and Needs for Pathogen Detection in Emergencies and Disasters.

BACKGROUND: We assessed point-of-care device specifications and needs for pathogen detection in urgent care, emergencies, and disasters. METHODS: We surveyed American Association for Clinical Chemistry members and compared responses to those of disaster experts. Online SurveyMonkey questions covered performance characteristics, device design, pathogen targets, and other specifications.

Future Connectivity for Disaster and Emergency Point of Care.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this paper is to identify strategies for connectivity that will optimize point-of-care testing (POCT) organized as small-world networks in disaster settings. METHODS: We evaluated connectivity failures during the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, applied small-world network concepts, and reviewed literature for point-of-care (POC) connectivity systems. RESULTS: Medical teams responding to the Haiti Earthquake faced connectivity failures that affected patient outcomes.

Evidence-based point-of-care tests and device designs for disaster preparedness.

Objectives: To define pathogen tests and device specifications needed for emerging point-of-care (POC) technologies used in disasters.

Design: Surveys included multiple-choice and ranking questions. Multiple-choice questions were analyzed with the chi2 test for goodness-of-fit and the binomial distribution test.