A serological assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in at-home collected finger-prick dried blood spots

AbstractAccurate surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence requires large-scale testing of the population. Current testing methods require in-person collection of biospecimens by a healthcare worker, limiting access of individuals who do not have access to testing facilities while placing both patients and healthcare workers at risk of exposure to infection. We report the development and validation of a at-home finger-prick dried blood spot collection kit and an analysis method. We demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity using at-home collected specimens across the US. Such methods may facilitate the conduct of unbiased serosurveys within hard to reach populations and help reduce the sample collection burden of serological testing on both health care systems and individuals alike.

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A serological assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in at-home collected finger-prick dried blood spots

10.1101/2020.05.29.20116004 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Donna Grace Karp ◽

Kenneth Danh ◽

David Seftel ◽

Peter Robinson ◽

Cheng-ting Tsai

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Worker ◽

Large Scale ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Dried Blood Spots ◽

Sample Collection ◽

Finger Prick ◽

Care Systems ◽

Hard To Reach Populations ◽

Development And Validation ◽

At Home

Accurate surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence requires large-scale testing of the population. Current testing methods require in-person collection of biospecimens by a healthcare worker, limiting access of individuals who do not have access to testing facilities while placing both the patient and healthcare worker at risk of exposure to infection. We report the development and validation of a at-home finger-prick dried blood spot collection kit and an analysis method. We demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity using at-home collected specimens across the US. Such methods may facilitate the conduct of unbiased serosurveys within hard to reach populations and help reduce the sample collection burden of serological testing on both health care systems and individuals alike.

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Comparison of the US and Canadian Health Care Systems

JAMA ◽

10.1001/jama.300.16.1934 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 300 (16) ◽

pp. 1934 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

The Us ◽

Canadian Health ◽

Care Systems ◽

Canadian Health Care

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Data work: A condition for integrations in health care

Health Informatics Journal ◽

10.1177/1460458219833114 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 526-535 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Camilla Bjørnstad ◽

Gunnar Ellingsen

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Large Scale ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Medication Management ◽

Articulation Work ◽

Efficient Treatment ◽

Daily Work ◽

Local Actors ◽

Care Systems ◽

Information And Communication

Integration and interoperability between different information and communication technology (ICT) systems are crucial for efficient treatment and care in hospitals. In this article, we are particularly interested in the daily local work conducted by health-care personnel to maintain integrations. A principal aim of our article is, therefore, to contribute to a sociotechnical understanding of the “data work” that is embedded in the integration of health-care systems. Theoretically, we draw on the concepts of “information infrastructures” and “articulation work,” and we discuss how social status may influence the invisible articulation work. Furthermore, we show how historical decisions and existing systems both nationally and regionally have impacts on the daily work of local actors. Empirically, we have studied the formative stages of a large-scale electronic medication management system project in the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority.

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Újraélesztést követő koszorúér-angiográfia és katéteres intervenció

Orvosi Hetilap ◽

10.1556/650.2019.31590 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 160 (46) ◽

pp. 1826-1831

Author(s):

László Rudas ◽

Endre Zima

Keyword(s):

Coronary Angiography ◽

Large Scale ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Coronary Intervention ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Public Access ◽

Temperature Management ◽

Prehospital Management ◽

Care Systems ◽

St Elevation

Abstract: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) presents a great challenge for the health care systems even in the highly developed countries. For several decades, our greatest efforts have been directed toward the improvement of the prehospital management, including promotion of lay resuscitation and deployment of public access automated defibrillators. Recently, the importance of the hospital phase of the OHCA-management has been also emphasized. Attention has been paid to targeted temperature management and also to early coronary intervention. For those patients who present with ST-elevation on their post-resuscitation ECG, our approach is straightforward: urgent coronary angiography is indicated. The optimal management of those survivors of OHCA who present without ST-elevation is, however, still debated. Although up to 30% of these subjects also suffer from acute occlusive epicardial coronary disease, the clear benefit of urgent coronary angiography for the whole group is yet to be documented. Several large-scale randomized studies are under way to resolve this question. In our present review we detail the above controversies and outline the future directions. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(46): 1826–1831.

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Understanding Parents’ Approaches to Care and Treatment of Children With Cancer When Standard Therapy Has Failed

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2006.08.7759 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 25 (17) ◽

pp. 2414-2419 ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Author(s):

Myra Bluebond-Langner ◽

Jean Bello Belasco ◽

Ann Goldman ◽

Carmen Belasco

Keyword(s):

Pediatric Oncology ◽

Standard Therapy ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Semistructured Interviews ◽

The Us ◽

Care Models ◽

Care Systems ◽

Care And Treatment

Purpose To examine US and United Kingdom (UK) parents’ approaches to care and treatment when standard therapy has failed and consider implications for clinical practice. Methods We conducted a prospective, ethnographic study of parents, patients, and staff, including participant-observation; open-ended, semistructured interviews; and review of medical records at a US and UK pediatric oncology center. Thirty-four children (n = 17 US, 17 UK), whose disease had recurred with less than 30% chance of cure, were enrolled between March 2001 and June 2002 and followed until death (n = 11 US, 14 UK) or close of study in December 2005 (n = 6 US, 3 UK). Results There were no major differences between parents’ approaches in the US and UK despite differences in health care systems, institutions, and parents’ religion or ethnicity. All parents continued to have or request meetings with the oncologist and investigative procedures. No parent initiated discontinuation of cancer- or symptom-directed interventions. In 28 of 34 cases (13 US, 15 UK), parents continued to pursue cancer-directed therapies; in 16 of 28 cases (seven US, nine UK), parents initiated inquires beyond what was offered. Conclusion Understanding parents’ behavior requires attention to the reason and emotion they bring to decision making and their children's care, their unique responsibilities as parents, and what they learn throughout the illness. Parents do not see cancer-directed therapy and symptom-directed care as mutually exclusive, alternative approaches. Parents will not be constrained by what the oncologist offers. Physicians and parents discuss and negotiate care and treatment throughout the illness. Our findings suggest developing integrative care models incorporating cancer-directed, symptom-directed, and supportive care throughout the illness; they are most consistent with parents’ approaches and advances in pediatric oncology.

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Robotics in Gynecology: Why is this Technology Worth pursuing?

Clinical Medicine Insights Reproductive Health ◽

10.4137/cmrh.s10850 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. CMRH.S10850 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rodrigo Ayala-Yáñez ◽

Emilio José Olaya-Guzmán ◽

Javier Haghenbeck-Altamirano

Keyword(s):

Health Care Systems ◽

Da Vinci Surgical System ◽

Training Design ◽

Oncologic Surgery ◽

Novel Technologies ◽

The Us ◽

Care Systems ◽

Vinci Surgical System ◽

Positive Effect ◽

Surgical System

Robotic laparoscopy in gynecology, which started in 2005 when the Da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in gynecologic procedures, represents today a modern, safe, and precise approach to pathology in this field. Since then, a great deal of experience has accumulated, and it has been shown that there is almost no gynecological surgery that cannot be approached with this technology, namely hysterectomy, myomectomy, sacrocolpopexia, and surgery for the treatment of endometriosis. Albeit no advantages have been observed over conventional laparoscopy and some open surgical procedures, robotics do seem to be advantageous in highly complicated procedures when extensive dissection and proper anatomy reestablishment is required, as in the case of oncologic surgery. There is no doubt that implementation of better logistics in finance, training, design, and application will exert a positive effect upon robotics expansion in gynecological medicine. Contrary to expectations, we estimate that a special impact is to be seen in emerging countries where novel technologies have resulted in benefits in the organization of health care systems.

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Measurement of Glycated Hemoglobin A1c from Dried Blood by Turbidimetric Immunoassay

Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology ◽

10.1177/193229680900300527 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 1203-1206 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Ramakrishnan Lakshmy ◽

Ruby Gupta

Keyword(s):

Whole Blood ◽

Large Scale ◽

Hemoglobin A1c ◽

Glycated Hemoglobin ◽

Intraclass Correlation ◽

Dried Blood Spots ◽

Sample Collection ◽

Blood Spots ◽

Glycated Hemoglobin A1c ◽

The Impact

Background: Glycated hemoglobin A1c (A1C) is an important marker in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Dried blood measurement of A1C is useful in large scale epidemiological evaluation of A1C, especially to assess the impact of intervention programs. The possibility of using dried blood for measurement of A1C by the immunoturbidimetric method was explored in the present study. Method: Blood was collected from 30 patients, and blood spots were prepared and dried. The dried blood spot samples were kept for different lengths of time at 4°C to assess stability. Glycated hemoglobin was measured in whole blood and dried blood on the day of collection as well as on days 10 and 15 by immunoturbidimetric method. Results: The A1C values of 30 samples analyzed for comparison between whole blood estimation and dried blood ranged from 4.6% to 9.9%. The mean A1C on the day of sample collection was 6.01% ± 1.58% in fresh whole blood samples and 5.94% ± 1.58 % in dried blood spots. A linear and highly correlated relationship was observed between dried blood A1C values and those in whole blood ( r = 0.986 and intraclass correlation value = 0.993). Glycated hemoglobin values on day 10 and day 15 were comparable with the values on day 1 with a shift in mean of just 1% on day 10 and 3.04% on day 15. Conclusion: In conclusion, dried blood can be used for measurement of A1C by immunoturbidimetric method, and further stability of A1C measurement from dried blood for up to 15 days at 4°C makes it an ideal matrix for transportation in developing countries like India.

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