Diagnostic

In low- and middle-income countries, however, the diagnostic tests and services needed to evaluate patients are often unavailable, inaccessible, or too expensive. Without tools to detect and monitor many of the most burdensome diseases, health providers must make a diagnosis based on clinical symptoms alone, which can translate to inappropriate care or treatment, advanced disease progression, development of drug resistance, and negative health outcomes for the patient. The lack of access to diagnostics and related laboratory services often stems from a scarcity of trained staff, insufficient resources, inaccurate procedures, and inadequate quality assurance protocols.

The ability of health providers to correctly detect, identify, and monitor diseases is critically important to high-quality patient care and allows for an accurate assessment of disease progression, development of an appropriate treatment plan, and evaluation of how well treatment and care interventions are working.