The REASSURED-d@UP research group from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Health Sciences, dominated the stage at the Bioengineering for Global Health conference held in Nashville, USA, from November 13^th to 15^th, 2023. This global gathering facilitated crucial discussions on health innovation, providing members of the REASSURED-d@UP research group with a significant platform to address challenges in the implementation of point-of-care diagnostics in resource-limited settings and underserved populations.

The conference, organised by the Vanderbilt University in collaboration with renowned journals Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Nature Communications and Nature Biomedical Engineering, explored innovations for global health, particularly focusing on for low-cost diagnostics, effective point-of-care treatments, funding global health-related bioengineering research; and capacity building for disease prevention and policy.

Taking the stage at the conference, Dr. Siphesihle Robin Nxele, a postdoctoral candidate under the REASSURED-d@UP research group, addressed the consensus on developing acceptable digital-linked point-of-care diagnostics for resource-limited settings.

Dr. Nxele stressed the importance of considering the target community’s values and expectations during the engineering and development phase, stating “Key considerations during the engineering & development phase of digitally linked point-of-care diagnostics should include the target community’s values, desires, expectations, personal objectives, and lived experiences”.

She emphasised the necessity for user-centred healthcare interventions, stating “even when these interventions meet the requirements from a clinical perspective, they may still fail to be accepted by key stakeholders which are part of the end user group”.

In her presentation, Dr. Nxele showcased the significance of identifying users’ needs from a social, economic, technological, and medical perspective to ensure sustainable implementation.

Her presentation highlighted how digital-linked point-of-care diagnostics have revolutionised healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings.

Dr. Kuhlula Maluleke, another a Postdoctoral candidate under REASSURED-d@UP research group, shared insights from her research focusing on the augmentation of supply chain management (SCM) for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics in resource-limited settings.

She highlighted challenges in SCM systems, procurement processes, and inventory data management, stating, “The heavy reliance on paper-based SCM systems, limited communication between government tiers causing delays, and manual record-keeping leading to inaccuracies in inventory data”.

Dr. Maluleke proposed transformative solutions, emphasising digitalisation, standardised procurement, and improved stock visibility. She also highlighted that fragmented procurement processes lacking standardisation resulted in inefficiencies and potential resource wastage that contributed to challenges of overstocking and understocking. “The lack of standardised procedures created disparities in access, leading to inequitable distribution of diagnostic supplies”, she said.

She added that the absence of integrated data systems made effective monitoring difficult, resulting in data fragmentation and unequal distribution.

Dr. Maluleke’s comprehensive talk recommended a transformative path that, if implemented, could revolutionise SCM, ensuring more efficient distribution and accessibility of point-of-care diagnostics.

Ziningi Jaya, a PhD candidate under REASSURED-d@UP research group, presented a pilot study on understanding young women’s preferences for a self-sampling intervention to diagnose sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Jaya’s research, aligning seamlessly with the conference theme, uncovered preferred attributes and strategies crucial for shaping effective and accessible STI diagnostic interventions Through the Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE).

“The introduction of online systems for symptom assessment, result communication via email or SMS, and normalisation campaigns also emerged as essential components”, she said.

The pilot study utilising the Discrete Choice Experiment, lays the foundation for nuanced STI diagnostic interventions tailored to the preferences of young women in underserved communities.

The conference provided a unique opportunity for the junior team members of the REASSURED-d@UP research group to interact with global leaders in the biomedical field, including Prof Thumbi Ndung’u. Prof Ndung’u, the Deputy Director and a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the African Health Research Institute, shared invaluable insights, contributing to the group’s understanding of new advances in bioengineering and diagnostics. Dr Christine Horejs, Chief Editor Nature Reviews Bioengineering, thanked the REASSURED-d@UP team for their great contribution to this conference and expressed her desire for future collaborations with this team.

The REASSURED-d@UP research group under the leadership of Prof Tivani Mashamba-Thompson, a Diagnostics Research Professor and Deputy Dean for Research and Postgraduate Studies at Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria is making significant strides in optimising the implementation of point-of-care diagnostics for resource-limited settings and underserved populations. Their work is guided by the World Health Organisation REASSURED criteria. The REASSURED criteria refer to Real-time connectivity, Ease of sample collection, Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and robust, Equipment-free or simple and Delivered to end-users.