Role and utility of COVID-19 laboratory testing in low-income and middle-income countries: protocol for rapid evidence synthesis.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Accurate and affordable laboratory testing is key to timely diagnosis and appropriate management of patients with COVID-19. New laboratory test protocols are released into the market under emergency use authorisation with limited evidence on diagnostic test accuracy. As such, robust evidence on the diagnostic accuracy and the costs of available tests is urgently needed to inform policy and practice especially in resource-limited settings. We aim to determine the diagnostic test accuracy, cost-effectiveness and utility of laboratory test strategies for COVID-19 in low-income and middle-income countries.

Methods and analysis

This will be a multistaged, protocol-driven systematic review conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and

SUBMITTER: Ouma OK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8523956 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature