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Point-of-care tests increased rate of syphilis testing in pregnant women
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The introduction of affordable point-of-care tests for syphilis increased the proportion of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics to more than 90%, according to researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“For point-of-care tests to maximize their potential, a number of challenges must be addressed,” the researchers wrote. “Health care workers must be properly trained in how to use them and how to interpret their results; the quality of the tests and the testing must be maintained through a quality assurance program; and supply chains must be improved to ensure that point-of-care tests and effective treatment are continually available.”
The researchers evaluated the success of implementing point-of-care tests for syphilis by introducing them to rural clinics in Tanzania, Uganda and China, rural and urban clinics in Peru and Zambia, and among remote indigenous populations in Brazil. Health care workers were interviewed and trained in the use of point-of-care tests, and data on screening, treatment and health care workers’ experiences were collected.
More than 100,000 pregnant women were screened for syphilis. The proportion of pregnant women screened for syphilis increased to more than 90%, and more than 90% of the women with syphilis were treated on the same day. The health care workers reported that the tests were easy to perform and well accepted at the clinics, and that they could test more patients per day with the tests.
“This project has shown that point-of-care tests for syphilis can be effectively introduced in a range of settings, from cities in China and Peru, to remote villages in East Africa, and even more remote indigenous populations in the Amazon rainforest,” the researchers wrote. “By working with the existing health care system to integrate testing, the introduction of point-of-care tests resulted in large numbers of women being tested and treated for syphilis, averting many stillbirths and reducing neonatal mortality.”
References:
Mabey DC. PLoS Med. 2012;doi:10.1371/journal.pmed/1001233.
Disclosures:
The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.