PMC

Field testing location. Panel A shows that disaster care respondents (n = 28) ranked patient-side testing higher in pairwise comparison when compared with other testing locations. Panel B shows comparable results for point-of-care respondents (n = 80). ***p < 0.001.

Bloodstream pathogen testing priorities. Disaster care respondents (n = 21) ranked methicillin-resist-ant Staphylococcus aureus number one and also ranked this organism higher in pairwise comparison when compared with other pathogens, demarcated on the right: **p < 0.01.

Priorities for pathogen testing in disaster settings. Disaster care respondents (n = 24) ranked pathogens in the order displayed in this Pareto plot for disaster settings, and they chose Vibrio cholera higher in statistical pairwise comparisons when compared with other pathogens, demarcated on the right: *p < 0.05.

Biohazard waste disposal. Disaster care respondents (n = 28) chose one of the two biohazard waste disposal methods: a device that stores biohazard waste in a reservoir versus a device that stores biohazard waste in a disposable test cassette, and preferred the latter in all three settings, **p < 0.01, *p < 0.05.

Emergency blood donor screening. Panel A illustrates that disaster care respondents (n = 24) ranked HIV 1 and 2, Hepatitis B virus, and Hepatitis C virus higher in pairwise comparison when compared with other pathogens, demarcated on the right. Panel B shows that point-of-care respondents (n = 61) also ranked HIV 1 and 2, Hepatitis B virus, and Hepatitis C virus higher in pairwise comparison when compared with other pathogens. Additionally, point-of-care respondents ranked HIV 1 and 2 higher in pairwise comparison when compared with Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus, as shown on the left: ***p < 0.001 and *p < 0.05.

Sample processing. Respondents selected two testing options: tests for multiple pathogens in a single patient sample versus multiple patient samples tested for a single pathogen. Panel A illustrates that disaster care respondents preferred multiplex pathogen testing in urgent care and emergency room settings (n = 26). Panel B shows that point-of-care respondents also preferred multiplex pathogen testing in these same settings (n = 78). ***p < 0.001, **p < 0.01.