bringing
point-of-care tests
from lab to life
A look at best practices in the design and development of microfluidic devices for point-of-care diagnostics. Microfluidic devices are used to enable rapid results at the diagnostic pointDave Franta Global Business Manager 3M Medical Materials and Technologies Jake Eldridge Senior Manufacturing Technology Engineer 3M Medical Materials and Technologies
of-care around the world. The results give healthcare providers and patients the ability to get answers and explore treatment options outside the physical setting of a hospital or clinic. As demand for point-of-care tests (such as infectious disease or blood glucose tests) increase, stakes are higher to consistently design and manufacture reliable devices in large volumes. A challenge, however, is how to scale production while ensuring test accuracy and effectiveness is balanced with overall cost. Many considerations and decisions need to come together to make the device. The following best practices can help when designing and producing microfluidic point-of-care devices without compromising reliability.
• Ask detailed questions to understand the end-user and their environment • Before starting to design and prototype, it’s important to see the big picture. • Posing questions about the end-user and their environment helps construct proper requirements that will serve as guard rails. Iterative feedback will also aid during design.
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