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Kost GJ, Füzéry AK, Caratao LKR, Tinsay S, Zadran A, Ybañez AP. Using geographic rescue time contours, point-of-care strategies, and spatial care paths to prepare island communities for global warming, rising oceans, and weather disasters. Int J Health Geogr 2023; 22:38. [PMID: 38124128 PMCID: PMC10731708 DOI: 10.1186/s12942-023-00359-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To perform geographic contour analysis of sea and land ambulance rescue times in an archipelago subject to super typhoons; to design point-of-care testing strategies for medical emergencies and weather disasters made more intense by global warming and rising oceans; and to assess needs for prehospital testing on spatial care paths that accelerate decision making, increase efficiency, improve outcomes, and enhance standards of care in island nations. METHODS We performed needs assessments, inspected healthcare facilities, and collected ambulance rescue times from professionals in the Bantayan Archipelago, Philippines. We mapped sea/land ambulance rescue routes and time contours. To reveal gaps, we statistically compared the fastest and slowest patient rescue times from islands/islets and barangays to the District Hospital on Bantayan Island. We developed spatial care paths (the fastest routes to care) for acute myocardial infarction, community care, and infectious diseases. We generated a compendium of prehospital diagnostic testing and integrated outcomes evidence, diagnostic needs, and public health goals to recommend point-of-care strategies that build geographic health resilience. RESULTS We observed limited access to COVID-19 assays, absence of blood gas/pH testing for critical care support, and spatial gaps in land and airborne rescues that worsened during inclement weather and sea swells. Mean paired differences (slowest-fastest) in ambulance rescue times to the District Hospital for both islands and barangays were significant (P < 0.0001). Spatial care path analysis showed where point-of-care cardiac troponin testing should be implemented for expedited care of acute myocardial infarction. Geospatial strengths comprised distributed primary care that can be facilitated by point-of-care testing, logical interisland transfers for which decision making and triage could be accelerated with onboard diagnostics, and healthcare networks amenable to medical advances in prehospital testing that accelerate treatment. CONCLUSIONS Point-of-care testing should be positioned upstream close to homes and island populations that have prolonged rescue time contours. Geospatially optimized point-of-need diagnostics and distributed prehospital testing have high potential to improve outcomes. These improvements will potentially decrease disparities in mortality among archipelago versus urban dwellers, help improve island public health, and enhance resilience for increasingly adverse and frequent climate change weather disasters that impact vulnerable coastal areas. [350 words].
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Kost
- Fulbright Scholar 2020-2022, ASEAN Program, Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT•CTR), Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Anna K Füzéry
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Samantha Tinsay
- Municipality of Bantayan, Bantayan-Santa Fe-Madridejos Primary Care Provider Network, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Amanullah Zadran
- POCT·CTR, Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Adrian P Ybañez
- Institute for Molecular Genetics, Parasitology, and Vector-Borne Diseases, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Cebu Technological University, Cebu, Philippines
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Zadran A, Ho AVD, Zadran L, Ventura Curiel IJ, Pham TT, Thuan DTB, Kost GJ. Optimizing Public Health Preparedness for Highly Infectious Diseases in Central Vietnam. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12092047. [PMID: 36140451 PMCID: PMC9497681 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12092047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Our primary objectives were (a) to determine the need for and the availability of point-of-care testing (POCT) for infectious diseases and (b) to recommend point-of-care testing strategies and Spatial Care PathsTM (SCPs) that enhance public health preparedness in the regional districts of Thua Thien Hue Province (TTHP), Central Vietnam, where we conducted field surveys. Medical professionals in seven community health centers (CHCs), seven district hospitals (DHs) and one provincial hospital (PH) participated. Survey questions (English and Vietnamese) determined the status of diagnostic testing capabilities for infectious diseases and other acute medical challenges in TTHP. Infectious disease testing was limited: six of seven CHCs (86%) lacked infectious disease tests. One CHC (14%, 1/7) had two forms of diagnostic tests available for the detection of malaria. All CHCs lacked adequate microbiology laboratories. District hospitals had few diagnostic tests for infectious diseases (tuberculosis and syphilis), blood culture (29%, 2/7), and pathogen culture (57%, 4/7) available. The PH had broader diagnostic testing capabilities but lacked preparedness for highly infectious disease threats (e.g., Ebola, MERS-CoV, SARS, Zika, and monkeypox). All sites reported having COVID-19 rapid antigen tests; COVID-19 RT-PCR tests were limited to higher-tier hospitals. We conclude that infectious disease diagnostic testing should be improved and POC tests must be supplied near patients’ homes and in primary care settings for the early detection of infected individuals and the mitigation of the spread of new COVID-19 variants and other highly infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanullah Zadran
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT CTR) Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (G.J.K.); Tel.: +1-(510)-779-8698 (A.Z.)
| | - An V. D. Ho
- Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
| | - Layma Zadran
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT CTR) Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Irene J. Ventura Curiel
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT CTR) Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Tang-Tung Pham
- Faculty of Medicine, Phan Chau Trinh University, No 9 Nguyen Gia Thieu St, Dien Ban Ward, Dien Ngoc District, Danang City 550000, Vietnam
| | - Duong Thi Bich Thuan
- College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Vinhomes Ocean Park, Gia Lam District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Gerald J. Kost
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT CTR) Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (G.J.K.); Tel.: +1-(510)-779-8698 (A.Z.)
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Kost GJ, Zadran A. Schools of Public Health Should be Accredited for, and Teach the Principles and Practice of Point-of-Care Testing. J Appl Lab Med 2020; 4:278-283. [PMID: 31639676 DOI: 10.1373/jalm.2019.029249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Kost
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT•CTR), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine;
| | - Amanullah Zadran
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT•CTR), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.,Department of Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA
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Han GR, Kim MG. Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence-Based Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Cardiac Troponin I Detection in Human Serum. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20092593. [PMID: 32370181 PMCID: PMC7248921 DOI: 10.3390/s20092593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Lateral flow assays (LFAs) have become the most common biosensing platforms for point-of-care testing due to their compliance with the ASSURED (affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid/robust, equipment-free, and deliverable to end-users) guidelines stipulated by the World Health Organization. However, the limited analytical sensitivity and low quantitative capability of conventional LFAs, which use gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for colorimetric labeling, have prevented high-performance testing. Here, we report the development of a highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL)-based LFA involving AuNPs conjugated with aldehyde-activated peroxidase and antibody molecules-i.e., AuNP-(ald)HRP-Ab-as a new conjugation scheme for high-performance testing in LFAs. When paired with the CL-based signal readout modality, the AuNP-(ald)HRP-Ab conjugate resulted in 110-fold enhanced sensitivity over the colorimetric response of a typical AuNP-Ab conjugate. To evaluate the performance of the CL-based LFA, we tested it with human cardiac troponin I (cTnI; a standard cardiac biomarker used to diagnose myocardial infarction) in standard and clinical serum samples. Testing the standard samples revealed a detection limit of 5.6 pg·mL-1 and acceptably reliable precision (with a coefficient of variation of 2.3%-8.4%), according to clinical guidelines. Moreover, testing the clinical samples revealed a high correlation (r = 0.97) with standard biochemical analyzers, demonstrating the potential clinical utility of the CL-based LFA for high-performance cTnI testing.
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Han GR, Ki H, Kim MG. Automated, Universal, and Mass-Producible Paper-Based Lateral Flow Biosensing Platform for High-Performance Point-of-Care Testing. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:1885-1894. [PMID: 31813220 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b17888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Paper-based lateral flow assays (LFAs) are among the most widely used biosensing platforms for point-of-care testing (POCT). However, the conventional colloidal gold label of LFAs show low sensitivity and limited quantitative capacity. Alternatively, the use of enzyme/chemical reaction-based signal amplification with structural modifications has enhanced analytical capacity but requires multiple user interventions as a trade-off, increasing complexity, test imprecision, and time. These platforms are also difficult to manufacture, limiting their practical applications. In this study, within the current LFA production framework, we developed a highly sensitive, automated, universal, and manufacturable LFA biosensing platform by (i) incorporating gold nanoparticles into a polymer-networked peroxidase with an antibody as a new scheme for enhanced enzyme conjugation and (ii) integrating a mass-producible and time-programmable amplification part based on a water-swellable polymer for automating the sequential reactions in the immunoassay and signal amplification, without compromising performance, simplicity, and production feasibility. We applied this platform to evaluate cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a gold-standard biomarker for myocardial infarction diagnosis. Quantitative analysis of cTnI in clinical setting remains limited to the laboratory-based high-end and costly standard equipment. Coupled with an enzyme-catalyzed chemiluminescence method, this platform enables automated, cost-effective (0.66 USD per test), and high-performance testing of human cTnI in serum samples within 20 min with a detection range of 6 orders of magnitude, detection limit of 0.84 pg mL-1 (595-fold higher than conventional cTnI-LFA), and a coefficient of variation of 2.9-8.5%, which are comparable to the standard equipment and acceptable for clinical use. Moreover, cTnI analysis results using clinical serum/plasma samples revealed a strong correlation (R2 = 0.991) with contemporary standard equipment, demonstrating the practical application of this platform for high-performance POCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyeo-Re Han
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physics and Chemistry , Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) , 123 Cheomdangwagi-ro , Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005 , Republic of Korea
| | - Hangil Ki
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physics and Chemistry , Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) , 123 Cheomdangwagi-ro , Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005 , Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Gon Kim
- Department of Chemistry, School of Physics and Chemistry , Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) , 123 Cheomdangwagi-ro , Buk-gu, Gwangju 61005 , Republic of Korea
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Kost GJ. Geospatial Science and Point-of-Care Testing: Creating Solutions for Population Access, Emergencies, Outbreaks, and Disasters. Front Public Health 2019; 7:329. [PMID: 32039125 PMCID: PMC6988819 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: (a) To understand how to integrate geospatial concepts when implementing point-of-care testing (POCT); (b) to facilitate emergency, outbreak, and disaster preparedness and emergency management in healthcare small-world networks; (c) to enhance community resilience by using POCT in tandem with geographic information systems (GISs) and other geospatial tools; and (d) to advance crisis standards of care at points of need, adaptable and scalable for public health practice in limited-resource countries and other global settings. Content: Visual logistics help integrate and synthesize POCT and geospatial concepts. The resulting geospatial solutions presented here comprise: (1) small-world networks and regional topography; (2) space-time transformation, hubs, and asset mapping; (3) spatial and geospatial care paths™; (4) GIS-POCT; (5) isolation laboratories, diagnostics isolators, and mobile laboratories for highly infectious diseases; (6) alternate care facilities; (7) roaming POCT—airborne, ambulances, space, and wearables; (8) connected and wireless POCT outside hospitals; (9) unmanned aerial vehicles; (10) geospatial practice—demographic care unit resource scoring, geographic risk assessment, and national POCT policy and guidelines; (11) the hybrid laboratory; and (12) point-of-careology. Value: Small-world networks and their connectivity facilitate efficient and effective placement of POCT for optimal response, rescue, diagnosis, and treatment. Spatial care paths™ speed transport from primary encounters to referral centers bypassing topographic bottlenecks, process gaps, and time-consuming interruptions. Regional GISs position POCT close to where patients live to facilitate rapid triage, decrease therapeutic turnaround time, and conserve economic resources. Geospatial care paths™ encompass demographic and population access features. Timeliness creates value during acute illness, complex crises, and unexpected disasters. Isolation laboratories equipped with POCT help stop outbreaks and safely support critically ill patients with highly infectious diseases. POCT-enabled spatial grids can map sentinel cases and establish geographic limits of epidemics for ring vaccination. Impact: Geospatial solutions generate inherently optimal and logical placement of POCT conceptually, physically, and temporally as a means to improve crisis response and spatial resilience. If public health professionals, geospatial scientists, and POCT specialists join forces, new collaborative teamwork can create faster response and higher impact during disasters, complex crises, outbreaks, and epidemics, as well as more efficient primary, urgent, and emergency community care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J Kost
- Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT·CTR™), University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States.,Knowledge Optimization®, Davis, CA, United States
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The Creation of Point-of-Careology. POINT OF CARE 2019. [DOI: 10.1097/poc.0000000000000191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Ventura IJ, Zadran A, Ho AVD, Zadran L, Thuan DTB, Pham TT, Kost GJ. Rapid Diagnosis and Effective Monitoring of Diabetes Mellitus in Central Vietnam. POINT OF CARE 2019. [DOI: 10.1097/poc.0000000000000178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Central Vietnam: International Exchange, Needs Assessment, and Spatial Care Paths: Erratum. POINT OF CARE 2018. [DOI: 10.1097/poc.0000000000000177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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