Welcome to the

Self-Testing Resource Hub

This Resource Hub is a knowledge exchange platform designed to accelerate Self-Testing initiatives on a global scale by providing information, tools, templates and examples of Self-Testing Implementation. It is an open source platform to share key learnings and best practices in the space.

Self-Testing can improve access to diagnostics for everyone regardless of their location or social status.

BACKGROUND

While self-testing using medical devices has been accessible since the 1970's in the form of pregnancy tests, it wasn't until 2016 that at home Self-Testing was accessible for HIV. Self-Testing empowers individuals to know their health status for certain diseases in the comfort and privacy of their own home or place of choice by enabling anytime, anywhere testing. Starting in 2020 with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global community saw an unprecedented race by manufacturers to innovate quickly and meet the need for COVID-19 Self-Testing. Imagine the scale in under two years with more than 1,000 different test kits being offered by manufactures who produced millions of kits to meet the intense demand.

With this acceleration of Self-Testing options, public and private health organizations, regulatory bodies and even individual users experienced new challenges in the provision and adoption of testing. Organizations implementing Self-Testing programs throughout the past two years have learned so much and are integrating this knowledge into how to prepare for future pandemics. Through the COVID-19 experience, Self-Testing is a proven method for affecting health outcomes on a global scale.

WHY THIS RESOURCE HUB

This resource hub is designed to share information, tools and templates to facilitate planning and implementation of Self-Testing programs across the globe with a specific focus on low- and middle-income countries. It is an open source platform through which any organization with experience in the space can share their information with the global community. Similarly, any organization seeking to learn from past experiences is welcome to explore the content with the aim to improve future initiatives based on learnings from past experiences of others.

This Resource Hub is designed to:​

  • Provide actionable information and tools for planning and implementation of Self-Testing programs/initiatives​
  • Share insights, key learnings and outcomes from Self-Testing programs/initiatives
  • Promote innovation in the Self-Testing arena​
  • Foster partnerships surrounding Self-Testing for sharing knowledge and best-practices
  • Provide links to available resources (e.g. WHO Guidelines and test directories)

This Resource Hub is designed for:​

  • Project leads and coordinators seeking to design and/or implement Self-Testing programs
  • Government and NGO organizations seeking to design/implement Self-Testing programs
  • General audiences looking for more information within the Self-Testing arena

SCOPE

This Resource Hub will continue to grow and evolve over time as there is an active outbound and inbound focus on building content. The content will focus on Self-Testing options for Infectious Diseases such as COVID-19, HIV, HCV and syphilis.

FIND'S ROLE IN LAUNCHING THIS RESOURCE HUB

FIND is a global non-profit connecting countries and communities, funders, decision-makers, healthcare providers and developers to spur diagnostic innovation and make testing an integral part of sustainable, resilient health systems. The content provided through-out this site is owned wholly by the contributors. FIND has conceptualized and launched this Resource Hub and will facilitate the collection and sharing of the information it contains.

NAVIGATING THE RESOURCE HUB

Navigate through the content using the main navigation or by clicking on any of the phases in the image above. Each section of the document will include downloadable information so you can access as many individual tools and references as you need. A full list of content is also available in the Explore section of the toolkit.

The Introducing New Testing Technologies section includes information about various diagnostics. Within this section you will learn more about where to find information on the regulatory environment and approved tests available via Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs).

Within the Pilots section you will have access to information relevant to the design and conduct of pilot implementation projects. This area is rich with examples, templates and checklists that you can download, adapt and use for your own initiatives. The framework mirrors many aspects you would find described under typical Project Management methodologies. The headings are intended as placeholders to help navigate depending on the stage you may be at in your own project; they should not be considered as a guidance on how to sep up and conduct implementation projects. Explore and access the types of information you need based on your own plan and methodology.

Access the Case Studies section and navigate through the details and key learnings from the Self-Testing Pilots executed in the global arena.

Feedback or Insights to share?

This Resource Hub is an open source knowledge exchange platform designed to accelerate Self-Testing initiatives. It will be updated as new tools and insights are available.

Let us know if you can't find what you are looking for or if you have any questions or suggestions.

If you have examples from your own projects that you would like to share - please let us know!

Contact us

This Resource Hub is designed to provide tools, examples and templates from organizations working in the Self-Testing space. Always refer to the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/publications/who-guidelines) and all pertinent Government Agencies for the most recent guidelines and recommendations for your region.

FIND has conceptualized and launched this Resource Hub and will facilitate the collection and sharing of the information it contains. The content provided throughout this site is owned wholly by the contributors.