Any Diagnostic test, especially
for those diseases, which are infectious can be used to demonstrate the
presence or even the absence of infection. This is also used to detect the presence
of any previous infection (here we are basically taking about the presence of
antibodies for the infection), at times even the surrogate maker of infection,
for the effective clinical management and the appropriate disease control
activity.
The Diagnostic Centre is therefore that institution which provides a
result in time, emphasizes on effective control measures, along with some
particular treatments. There are some infections, in which an early diagnosis
and treatment can actually play an important role, in preventing the
development of long term complications, along with interrupting transmission of
the infectious agent. If we see it in a broader context then these tests can
have multiple uses, such as the following:
1.
Patient
management, particularly when clinical symptoms are not at all specified
2.
Screening
for asymptomatic infections
3.
Surveillance
of the disease
4.
Epidemiological
studies for instance, in which there is a prompt evaluation of disease burden
or even the outbreak investigations
5.
Evaluating
the effectiveness of interventions
6.
Including
verification of elimination
7.
Detecting
infections with markers of drug resistance
Every Diagnostic Centre has all the above mentioned facilities, yet there
are many variables that can influence the performance of the test in different
aspects. These basically involve the differences in the characteristics of the
population or to be precise the infectious agent, including the prevalence of
the infection, along with its genetic variation. The test methodology for instance
and the consumption of recombinant or native antigen or antibody are some of
the other factors associated. Therefore, it is always suggested that the test
evaluations should be accomplished under wide array of conditions in which they
are likely to be utilized in practice. In certain situations, such kind of evaluations
can be facilitated through the multi-centre trials.
There have been certain recent technological developments, which have ultimately led to the proliferation of novel and faster diagnostic tests that hold the promise for the improved and accurate control of the diseases. However whether these tests are useful in a given setting, and if this is the case, then which test is appropriate, are some of the questions that can be well answered with the help of evaluations performed by the clinical centre.
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