review · EClinicalMedicine
Primary healthcare remains essential for improving medical access in low-income and middle-income countries. Recent technological developments have reduced the size, weight, and cost of medical imaging equipment, while enhancements in power supplies, internet connectivity, and artificial intelligence make point-of-care imaging increasingly feasible. In contrast to high-income nations where patients are usually referred to separate imaging centres, offering diagnostics during the initial clinic visit is frequently the sole route to timely care in lower-resource environments. Expanding point-of-care tools to include advanced imaging is becoming vital to manage the rising incidence of non-communicable conditions, notably cancer and heart disease. Achieving this requires context-specific approaches focusing on workforce training, patient safety, and consistent quality standards across healthcare settings.
Many patients in lower-income settings cannot access dedicated, centralised diagnostic facilities. Enabling diagnosis during routine clinic appointments through portable, point-of-care devices can significantly reduce delays in detecting severe non-communicable conditions like heart disease and cancer. Expanding access to reliable imaging within primary healthcare supports earlier intervention, helping to address expanding burdens of disease in resource-constrained health systems.
The work identifies opportunities for manufacturers and software developers building portable, low-cost imaging equipment and artificial intelligence diagnostics suited for primary care clinics. Primary users would be healthcare practitioners in resource-limited settings managing non-communicable diseases. Because the abstract discusses broad system-level shifts and requirements rather than testing a specific device, the commercial application remains at a conceptual and strategic planning stage, requiring supporting investments in local training, power infrastructure, and quality control.
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The concept of primary healthcare is now regarded as crucial for enhancing access to healthcare services in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Technological advancements that have made many medical imaging devices smaller, lighter, portable and more affordable, and infrastructure advancements in power supply, Internet connectivity, and artificial intelligence, are all increasing the feasibility of POCI (point-of care imaging) in LMICs. Although providing imaging services at the same time as the clinic visit represents a paradigm shift in the way imaging care is typically provided in high-income countries where patients are typically directed to dedicated imaging centres, a POCI model is often the only way to provide timely access to imaging care for many patients in LIMCs. To address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease, bringing advanced imaging tools to the POCI will be necessary. Strategies tailored to the countries' specific needs, including training, safety and quality, will be of the utmost importance.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102114
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