Availability, stock levels and usage of In-vitro diagnostics in the Bono region, Ghana: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests play essential roles in diagnosis, surveillance, and disease management in health settings. Nevertheless, implementation challenges may hamper POC test accessibility. This study evaluated the availability and stock levels of the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified existing in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs) for use in health facilities without laboratories. AIM: To evaluate the availability, stock levels, and usage of POC diagnostic tests. SETTING: Bono Region, Ghana. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey involved 102 randomly selected Community Health-based and Planning Services (CHPS), 12 district health depots, and a regional medical depot. Using a survey tool, data were collected on clinic staffing, availability and stock levels of tests, and funding sources. STATA 17 was employed for data analysis. RESULTS: Majority (37.3%) of the respondents were community health nurses, with 4.4 mean years of work experience and 38 working hours per week. Of the 18 existing WHO prequalified POC tests for use at facilities without laboratories, 10 (56%), 2 (11%) and 0 (0%) were found at CHPS, regional, and district depots, respectively. Majority (183 out of 301) stock levels were low. Of the 10 available tests found, 7 scored 111 (36%) of ‘high use’. Supply chain management compliance was 5 (31%) out of 16. All CHPS received government funding with 25.5% of them receiving additional donor or internally generated funding. CONCLUSION: This study found poor supply chain management compliance, and low availability of POC tests in the Bono Region of Ghana. CONTRIBUTION: The study outlines POC tests availability and usage in low-resourced setting.