Access to timely and accurate diagnostic testing remains a major challenge in rural India, where healthcare infrastructure is often under-resourced, and travel to tertiary care centers can be a significant burden. Point-of-care testing (POCT) diagnostics performed near the patient at the time of consultation have emerged as a promising solution to improve early detection and treatment, particularly for infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). POCT technologies offer several advantages in rural settings: they are portable, require minimal training, provide rapid results, and reduce dependence on centralized laboratories.
In India, POCT is increasingly being explored for diagnosing conditions such as HIV, sickle cell disease, anemia, hypertension, diabetes, and hepatitis B, among others. A cross-sectional study in Pune tested the feasibility of community-based POCT for…