IDSA report calls for improved, rapid diagnostic testing

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has called for better diagnostics for infectious diseases, outlining goals that require collaborated efforts between Congress, regulatory bodies, industry, professional societies and clinicians. In an IDSA Public Policy report, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the organization makes several key recommendations, proposing solutions and steps toward improving the availability of diagnostic tests. “Despite advances in diagnostic technology, there is still an unmet need for better tests to identify the specific cause of infections,”Angela Caliendo, MD, PhD, of the department of medicine at Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I., and lead author of the report, said during a media briefing. “Without simple-to-use, inexpensive rapid tests, physicians may wait days to receive information needed to make management decisions, and often make educated guesses to prescribe therapy in the interim.” The report, titled “Better Tests, Better Care: Improved Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases,” outlines several areas that would benefit...