What Qualities Do Providers Identify As Best For Point Of Care Sti Tests And Do Opinions Differ By Practise, Region And Country?

Background U.S. clinicians identified high sensitivity and low cost as the most desirable characteristics for a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Point Of Care Test (POCT); indicated performance time as major barrier; and chose Chlamydia trachomatis as the first choice for POCT development. We determined if POCT priorities, preferred qualities and barriers were similar for practitioners globally. Methods An online survey was designed based on a large-scale in depth focus discussion study among STI experts and professionals and distributed via email to current IUSTI members. Conditional logistical regression modelling will be used for data analysis. We present preliminary data here. Results To date, 142 subjects took the online survey with 123 completing it: 44% (n = 63) male and 56% (n = 79) female. Most subjects were from Oceana (35%) followed by Europe (18%), America (18%), Africa (15%) and Asia (14%). The majority (59%) of participants were from developed countries. Unreliability (17%) was the greatest barrier for use of POCTs, followed by being laboratory-driven (15%) and time- frame (13%). Perceptions of STI POCT differed significantly between developing and developed country participants. The majority (85%) of participants from developing countries thought test cost was more important versus 67% from developed countries (p Conclusion One STI POCT may not fit all. Industry should consider country identified needs in development of future acceptable, usable STI POCT.