The "ready-to-hand" test: Diagnostic availability and usability in primary health care settings in Sierra Leone.

ABSTRACT: This article assesses the availability of essential diagnostic tests in primary health care facilities in two districts in Sierra Leone. In addition to evaluating whether a test is physically present at a facility, it extends the concept of availability to include whether equipment is functional and whether infrastructure, systems, personnel and resources are in place to allow a particular test to be "ready to hand", that is, available for immediate use when needed. Between February 2019 and September 2019, a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey was conducted in all 40 Community Health Centres (CHCs) in Western Area, one of five principal divisions in Sierra Leone. The number of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) available ranged from 1-12, with 75% of facilities having 9 or less RDTs available

SUBMITTER: Street A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10021322 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature