CHAPTER 14: Existing Point-of-care Diagnostics: Merits and Demerits

Point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics have emerged as an affordable and accessible tool in health management by facilitating early detection and real-time monitoring of various diseases. The market potential for PoC diagnostics is expected to grow annually by 15–20% in the coming years. The recent pandemic outbreak has further emphasized the need for such portable PoC devices for screening large populations and frequent monitoring of the health status of individuals. Research on PoC devices have commonly employed optical, electrical and electrochemical methods for clinical diagnosis. Recent years have seen the advent of flexible and disposable sensors with precise sample volume control using microfluidic technologies apart from ‘epidermal electronics’ that represent the next paradigm in wearable non-invasive diagnostic devices. These devices allow continuous real-time transmission of data using Bluetooth or internet-of-things for clinical decision-making in a location-independent manner. PoC devices can leverage artificial intelligence to improve the accuracy and reliability of the diagnosis. The use of biological entities for sensing increases the specificity of the PoC devices, but their immobilization without compromising sensitivity, response time and accuracy remains a major challenge. Most PoC devices are integrated with mobile phones, which are handy and can be used for personalized healthcare. However, robust protocols to ensure data security and data privacy need to be implemented to prevent unauthorized access of an individual's health records. This chapter presents an overview of recent PoC devices, the pros and cons of these sensor technologies, the challenges and future opportunities in their use in health management.