title: The Ebola Spatial Care Path™: Accelerating point-of-care diagnosis, decision making, and community resilience in outbreaks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present a vision where point-of-care testing (POCT) accelerates an Ebola Spatial Care Path™ (SCP) and future molecular diagnostics enable facilitated-access self-testing (FAST POC); to design an alternate care facility (ACF) for the SCP; to innovate an Ebola diagnostic center (DC); and to propel rapid POCT to the frontline to create resilience that stops future outbreaks.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed, literature, and web searches. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Medicine Without Frontiers, and World Health Organization (WHO) document analyses. Investigations in China, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United States. Review of SE Asia, US, and West Africa isolation-treatment centers. Innovation of a SCP, ACF, and DC suitable for American and other communities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The authors designed an ACF and DC to integrate SCP principles for urgent Ebola care. FDA emergency use authorizations for Ebola molecular diagnostics were discovered, but no portable, handheld, or self-contained molecular POC instruments are yet available, although feasible. The WHO initiated design criteria and an acceptance protocol for testing. Financial investment in POCT will downsize Ebola outbreaks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  POCT is facilitating global health. Now, global health problems are elevating POCT to new levels of importance for accelerating diagnosis and evidence-based decision making during disease outbreaks. Authorities concur that rapid diagnosis has potential to stop disease spread. With embedded POCT, strategic SCPs planned by communities fulfill CDC recommendations. POC devices should consolidate multiplex test clusters supporting patients with Ebola in isolation. The ultimate future solution is FAST POC. New technologies offer minimally significant risks. Diagnostic centers in ACFs and transportable formats also will optimize Ebola SCPs.
authors: Point-of-Care Center for Teaching and Research (POCT•CTR), School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California; President and CEO, Knowledge Optimization®, Davis, California; Affiliate Faculty, College of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
authors: Gerald J
authors: GJ
authors: Kost
authors: POCT•CTR, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
authors: William J
authors: WJ
authors: Ferguson
authors: POCT•CTR, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
authors: Jackie
authors: J
authors: Hoe
authors: POCT•CTR, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
authors: Anh-Thu
authors: AT
authors: Truong
authors: Managing Director, Owner, Connect Diagnostics, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Arirat
authors: A
authors: Banpavichit
authors: Lab Leader Company, Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand.
authors: Surin
authors: S
authors: Kongpila
mesh_terms: D000354:Africa, Western; D003151:Community Health Centers; D019091:Critical Pathways; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010356:Patient Isolation; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011634:Public Health; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D014481:United States