Stuart S. Olmsted

Requirements for High Impact Diagnostics in the Developing World

This paper focuses on the technologies required to meet the global health diagnostics needs presented in the previous papers, highlighting how new diagnostic technologies might have the potential to change medical and public-health scenarios in the developing world.

Developing and Interpreting Models to Improve Diagnostics in Developing Countries

Developing a strategy for investment in diagnostic technologies requires an understanding of the need for, and the health impact of, potential new tools, as well as the necessary performance characteristics and user requirements. In this paper, we outline an approach for modelling the health benefits of new diagnostic tools.

Strengthening laboratory systems in resource-limited settings.

Considerable resources have been invested in recent years to improve laboratory systems in resource-limited settings. We reviewed published reports, interviewed major donor organizations, and conducted case studies of laboratory systems in 3 countries to assess how countries and donors have worked together to improve laboratory services. While infrastructure and the provision of services have seen improvement, important opportunities remain for further advancement. Implementation of national laboratory plans is inconsistent, human resources are limited, and quality laboratory services rarely extend to lower tier laboratories (eg, health clinics, district hospitals). Coordination within, between, and among governments and donor organizations is also frequently problematic. Laboratory standardization and quality control are improving but remain challenging, making accreditation a difficult goal. Host country governments and their external funding partners should coordinate their efforts effectively around a host countrys own national laboratory plan to advance sustainable capacity development throughout a countrys laboratory system.

Patient experience with, and use of, an electronic monitoring system to assess vaccination responses

Objective  To evaluate the user experience and acceptability of an electronic patient monitoring system.

Learning from Experience

This chapter includes a description of research that took place into studying past data. The hope is that we would learn something that would benefit future users of GPS. In addition, some recommendations are given as to how one might mitigate the risks associated with GPS positioning, and accurate GPS positioning. Another topic that is included concerns surveying. Land surveying is an established discipline in which the accurate location of features and marked positions are measured. Surveyors have used GPS for some time and it is advantageous for the reader to study the approaches they adopt so as to circumvent problems.