Introduction: Bacterial infections are still one of the most important causes of death worldwide, and therefore the presence of timely and accurate diagnostic techniques helps in the effective management of this crisis. Laboratory-based diagnostic techniques are accurate but time-consuming, often requiring several days for a final diagnosis. This delay in diagnosis causes more harm to the patient, makes treatment more difficult and increases health costs. One hope for rapid and accurate diagnosis is point-of-care (POC) tests that facilitate immediate clinical decision-making. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of various POC tests designed for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of bacterial infections. Also, the sensitivity, specificity, ease of use and clinical applications of these tools are examined.
Methods: This study systematically reviews the available literature on the types of POC for the diagnosis of bacterial infections. According to the technology used, POC can be classified into tools based on molecular assays, immunoassays, and biosensors. We evaluated the advantage and diagnostic process of these POCs compared to traditional laboratory methods. Also, the clinical applications of these tools in the diagnosis of respiratory, urinary and blood infections were evaluated.
Results: According to a meta-analysis of published data from previous studies, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of POC tests and showed that many of them have acceptable accuracy compared to common laboratory diagnostic methods. For example, POC based on molecular techniques has high sensitivity and specificity in detecting bacteria as well as resistance genes. While POC allows the detection of many microbial antigens based on immunoassay. However, there are still challenges associated with the clinical application of POC, such as healthcare personnel training and cost-effectiveness, which were investigated in this study. In addition, attention to regulatory considerations and the need for standardization in POC performance were discussed in order to provide a road map for smoothing the path of clinical application of these tools.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this manuscript emphasizes the ability of POC diagnostic tools to achieve rapid diagnosis and optimal treatment selection in bacterial infections. Despite all the advantages of POCs such as speed, accuracy, sensitivity and high specificity in diagnosis, there are still many challenges in application. There is a construction of this tool next to the bed. Attention and elimination of limitations, responding to knowledge chats, use of new technologies, are all key points in the application of POCs, which ultimately lead to improved management of bacterial infections and help in the successful treatment of patients.