Hosted by Wyss Core Faculty David R. Walt, PhD, Diagnostics Grand Rounds brings clinicians with unmet needs to the Wyss Institute. The goal of these sessions is to inform technology developers about important clinical problems that can help them direct their technology development efforts. Presenters are asked to identify diagnostic needs that will have an impact on the quality of care they deliver.
Point of care testing (POCT) plays a pivotal role in managing patient management when testing is integrated into clinical care protocols, particularly in urgent care settings. However, not all POCT devices are easy to use and many are difficult to maintain regulatory compliance. Additionally, direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing has been proposed to directly increase engagement in managing one’s own health, but not all tests perform well and many aren’t appropriate for generalized screening. When considering the general population’s limited health literacy, at-home testing can result in false reassurance or cause excessive alarm. During this talk Nicole Tolan, PhD, DABCC, will be covering the spectrum of clinical testing, from the central laboratory to POCT / near-patient testing to DTC testing, innovative technologies must take all these aspects into consideration in order to realize real-world improvement in diagnostic testing and improved health.