Rethinking the Design of Low-Cost Point-of-Care Diagnostic Devices
| Autor: | Xinyu Liu, Abdi M. Kusow, Rebecca Cademartiri, Martin M. Thuo, Benjamin Ngugi, Faith W. Kimani, Jiahao Chen, Samuel Mwangi, Benjamin J. Kwasa |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Standardization
Computer science lcsh:Mechanical engineering and machinery Developing country 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences Article rapid diagnostics Health care diagnostics lcsh:TJ1-1570 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Reliability (statistics) Point of care Philosophy of design Poverty Management science business.industry low cost Mechanical Engineering 010401 analytical chemistry technology adoption 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology health care value-added design 0104 chemical sciences Risk analysis (engineering) Control and Systems Engineering 0210 nano-technology business Developed country |
| Zdroj: | Micromachines; Volume 8; Issue 11; Pages: 317 Micromachines, Vol 8, Iss 11, p 317 (2017) Micromachines |
| ISSN: | 2072-666X |
| DOI: | 10.3390/mi8110317 |
| Popis: | Reducing the global diseases burden requires effective diagnosis and treatment. In the developing world, accurate diagnosis can be the most expensive and time-consuming aspect of health care. Healthcare cost can, however, be reduced by use of affordable rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). In the developed world, low-cost RDTs are being developed in many research laboratories; however, they are not being equally adopted in the developing countries. This disconnect points to a gap in the design philosophy, where parameterization of design variables ignores the most critical component of the system, the point-of-use stakeholders (e.g., doctors, nurses and patients). Herein, we demonstrated that a general focus on reducing cost (i.e., “low-cost”), rather than efficiency and reliability is misguided by the assumption that poverty reduces the value individuals place on their well-being. A case study of clinicians in Kenya showed that “zero-cost” is a low-weight parameter for point-of-use stakeholders, while reliability and standardization are crucial. We therefore argue that a user-driven, value-addition systems-engineering approach is needed for the design of RDTs to enhance adoption and translation into the field. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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