Designing SARS-CoV-2 tests for non-traditional settings: What do users want?

Non-traditional settings for testing are becoming increasingly important in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, and test developers are responding by designing tests for these settings. The National Institutes of Health Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostic RADxSM Tech program (RADx Tech) has identified six non-traditional settings as potentially impactful areas of focus for testing innovations. To inform the design of new tests for these settings, hypothetical testing concepts were presented to fifteen organizations, with the aim of identifying testing preferences of these organizations and potential end users. Fourteen (93%) of the fifteen organizations preferred point-of-care testing concepts over off-site testing. The majority of organization representatives cited accuracy as the most important test attribute over cost, sample type, throughput, time to result, and test complexity. The users’ preferences described in this paper provide test developers insights for designing and developing tests for these non-traditional settings.