Perceptions of point-of-care infectious disease testing among European medical personnel, point-of-care test kit manufacturers, and the general public

Figures & data

Figure 1 Table showing the timeline and activities associated with the dissemination of the TEMPOtest-QC questionnaire.

Figure 2 Profession (A), country born (B), and country of residence (C) of the 293 respondents who participated in the TEMPOtest-QC survey.

Abbreviation: POCT, point-of-care test.

Figure 3 Mean responses of medical specialists regarding the current perceived necessity for MM-POC in relationship to type of disease. The majority regarded the development of MM-POC against both hospital acquired and blood culture infections as “Absolutely Necessary”.

Abbreviation: MM-POC, medical microbiological point-of-care tests.

Figure 4 Opinions of target groups regarding the use of infectious disease (bacterial/fungal) POC devices in different environments. Medical specialists (hospital medical microbiologists and nonmedical microbiology specialists) (M), POCT manufacturers (P), and the general public (G) regarding the applicability of MM-POC in hospital wards, at the general practitioner or at the patient’s home.

Abbreviations: G, general practitioners; M, medical specialists; P, POCT manufacturers; POCT, point-of-care test; MM-POC, medical microbiological point-of-care tests.

Table 1 Opinions of target groups regarding the most relevant specifications for bacterial or fungal point-of-care diagnostics

	Medical specialists No (%)	POCT manufacturers No (%)	OR (95% CI)	P-value
Respondents	130	25
1. In your opinion, what are the most important factors with respect to infectious disease POCT? (multiple answers allowed).
Costs	70 (53.8)	17 (68.0)	–	0.543
Sensitivity	78 (60.0)	14 (56.0)	–	–
Specificity	78 (60.0)	11 (44.0)	–	–
Simplicity	69 (53.1)	19 (76.0)	–	–
Reliability	79 (60.8)	19 (76.0)	–	–
Time to diagnosis	79 (60.8)	21 (84.0)	–	–
2. How specific should a bacterial or fungal POCT be? The test should be able to distinguish between: (multiple answers allowed).
Bacteria/fungi/viruses/no infection	75 (57.7)	9 (36.0)	–	0.543
Bacterial or fungal species including genetic types/clones	56 (43.1)	16 (64.0)	–	–
Class of antibiotic resistance	94 (72.3)	12 (48.0)	–	–
No opinion	9 (6.9)	2 (8.0)	–	–
3. What would be your preferred maximum “time to diagnosis” for a bacterial or fungal POCT?
0 minutes–5 minutes	10 (7.7)	4 (16.0)	0.40 (0.11–1.20)	0.121
5 minutes–15 minutes	36 (27.7)	7 (28.0)	0.44 (0.11–1.93)	0.251
15 minutes–1 hour	50 (38.5)	9 (36.0)	0.21 (0.04–1.12)	0.068
>1 hour	32 (24.6)	3 (12.0)	0.42 (0.11–1.77)	0.206
4. Complexity: In your opinion, what is the maximum number of processing steps that should be performed when using a bacterial or fungal POCT?
1 step	22 (16.9)	7 (28.0)	0.32 (0.13–0.71)	0.008
2 steps	47 (36.2)	5 (20.0)	0.32 (0.09–1.11)	0.075
3 steps	42 (32.3)	10 (40.0)	0.68 (0.23–2.10)	0.494
>3 steps	16 (12.3)	3 (12.0)	0.45 (0.09–1.85)	0.289

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; No, number; OR, odds ratio; POCT, point-of-care test.

Table 2 Opinions of target groups regarding the effect of point-of-care testing on the quality of health care

	Medical specialists No (%)	General public No (%)	OR (95% CI)	P-value
Respondents	130	138
1. In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal POC diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the quality of patient care?
Yes	76 (58.5)	101 (73.2)	0.34 (0.15–0.71)	0.006
No	28 (21.5)	28 (20.3)	2.79 (1.14–7.27)	0.028
Don’t know	24 (18.5)	9 (6.5)	3.47 (1.59–8.22)	0.003
2. Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal POC testing technologies will allow you/the doctor to better monitor your patients/your health?
Yes	52 (40.0)	100 (72.5)	1.75 (1.27–2.44)	<0.0001
No	48 (36.9)	25 (18.1)	0.28 (0.15–0.49)	<0.0001
Don’t know	28 (21.5)	13 (10.0)	0.24 (0.11–0.48)	<0.0001
3. Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal POC technologies will have an impact on the doctor-patient relationship?
Yes (in a positive context)	25 (19.2)	48 (34.8)	1.66 (1.05–2.65)	0.032
Yes (in a negative context)	37 (28.5)	30 (23.1)	0.45 (0.23–0.87)	0.019
No	27 (20.8)	35 (25.4)	0.73 (0.37–1.43)	0.359
Don’t know	39 (30.0)	25 (18.1)	0.37 (0.18–0.72)	0.004 0.014
4. Do you think that there will be significant problems in interpreting the results of bacterial or fungal POCT?
Yes	69 (53.1)	51 (37.0)	0.68 (0.47–0.97)	0.033
No	33 (25.4)	47 (34.1)	1.87 (1.07–3.28)	0.028
Don’t know	26 (20.0)	40 (29.0)	2.18 (1.20–4.02)	0.012

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; No, number; OR, odds ratio; POC, point-of-care; POCT, point-of-care test.

Table 3 Perceived effect of the introduction of bacterial or fungal point-of-care testing technologies according to the general public

	General public No (%)
Respondents	138
1. Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal POCT technologies will likely increase or decrease the number of visits you make to your general practitioner?
Increase	16 (11.6)
Decrease	64 (46.4)
Have no effect	39 (28.3)
Don’t know	19 (13.8)
2. If a home-testing kit for infectious diseases was available what is the maximum cost that you would be prepared to pay for a single test?
€ 0,–	6 (4.3)
€ 1,– to € 5	30 (21.7)
€ 5,– to € 10	54 (39.1)
€ 10,– to € 25	38 (27.5)
€ 25,– to € 50	6 (4.3)
€ 50,– to € 100	3 (2.2)
>€ 100	1 (0.7)
3. Where would you prefer to purchase an infectious disease home-testing kit?
(multiple choices allowed).
Your local hospital	21 (15.2)
General practitioner	42 (30.4)
Pharmacy	118 (85.5)
Drugstore	48 (34.8)
Supermarket	16 (11.6)
Internet	19 (13.8)

Abbreviations: No, number; POCT, point-of-care test.

Nonmedical microbiology specialist (hospital doctors and nurses)

Q no	Labels	Question	Options
1.	a)	Do you use bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) for the diagnosis of infectious diseases at the moment?	Yes
			No
	b)	If yes, which type of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) do you use? (multiple answers allowed).	Nucleic acid based
			Antibody based
			Protein based
			Metabolomic
			Don’t know
			Other
	c)	If no, would you be willing to use an bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test in your hospital ward in the future?	Yes
			No
			Perhaps
			Don’t know
2.		In your opinion, what are the most important factors with respect to infectious disease “point-of-care” testing? (multiple answers allowed).	Costs
			Sensitivity
			Specificity
			Simplicity
			Reliability
			Time to diagnosis
3.		How specific should a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test be? The test should be able to distinguish between …	Bacteria or fungi or viruses or no infection only
			Bacterial/fungal species
			Bacterial/fungal sub-species and major genetic types and clones
			Class of antibiotic resistance (eg, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, fluoroquinolone, etc)
			Actual antibiotic resistance gene present No opinion
			No opinion
4.		Please rank the following infectious diseases where you think a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) would be particularly useful at the present moment in time.	Respiratory/gastrointestinal/sexually transmitted diseases/urinary tract infections/woundcare/oral infections/hospital acquired infections/blood culture infections
			Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/ no opinion
5.		What would be your preferred maximum “time to diagnosis” for a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	0 minutes to 5 minutes
			6 minutes to 15 minutes
			16 minutes to 30 minutes
			31 minutes to 60 minutes
			1 to 2 hours
			2 to 5 hours
			>5 hours
6.		Complexity: in your opinion, what is the maximum number of processing steps that should be performed when using a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	1 step
			2 steps
			3 steps
			4 steps
			>4 steps
7.		What is your opinion on the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing within your own hospital wards?	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
8.		What would be your opinion if bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing became available within the general practitioner’s surgery?	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
9.		What would be your opinion if bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing became available within the patient’s own home (with patients able to perform their own diagnostic testing)?	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
10.	a)	In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing to hospital wards (to be performed by nonmedical microbiology specialist doctors and nurses), affect your professional status?	Definitely yes
			Yes
			No
			Definitely no
			Don’t know
	b)	If yes, how do you think it would affect your professional status?	Very positively
			Positively
			Negatively
			Very negatively
			Don’t know
11.		Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal point-of-care testing technologies will:
	a)	Allow you to better monitor your patients?	Yes
			No
			Don’t know
	b)	Negatively affect your dealings with patients?	Yes
			No
			Don’t know
	c)	Have impact on the doctor-patient relationship?	Yes (in a positive context)
			Yes (in a negative context)
			No
			Don’t know
12.		Do you think that there will be significant problems in interpretating the results of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic tests?	Yes
			No
			Don’t know
13.		In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the quality of patient care?	Definitely yes
			Yes
			No
			Definitely no
			Don’t know
14.		What is your opinion on the following statements:
	a)	“Infectious disease home-testing kits are being developed that will allow people to test themselves at home without medical supervision for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
	b)	“Test-kits are being developed that will allow people to be tested at their own general practitioner’s surgery for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
15.		Do you believe that the use of bacterial and fungal “point-of-care” test(s) will positively or negatively affect how patients view your profession?	Very positively
			Positively
			Negatively
			Very negatively
			Don’t know
			No effect

Hospital medical microbiologists including medical microbiology laboratory technicians

Q no	Labels	Question	Options	Option labels
1.	a)	Do you use bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) for the diagnosis of infectious diseases at the moment?	Yes	a
			No	b
	b)	If yes, which type of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) do you use? (multiple answers allowed).	Not applicable
			Nucleic acid based	a
			Antibody-based	b
			Protein-based	c
			Metabolomic	d
			Don’t know	e
			Other	f
	c)	If no, would you be willing to use an bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test in your hospital ward in the future?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Perhaps	c
			Don’t know	d
2.		In your opinion, what are the most important factors with respect to infectious disease “point-of-care” testing? (multiple answers allowed).	Costs	a
			Sensitivity	b
			Specificity	c
			Simplicity	d
			Reliability	e
			Time to diagnosis	f
3.		How specific should a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test be? The test should be able to distinguish between …	Bacteria or fungi or viruses or no infection only	a
			Bacterial/fungal species	b
			Bacterial/fungal sub-species and major genetic types and clones	c
			Class of antibiotic resistance (eg, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, fluoroquinolone, etc)	d
			Actual antibiotic resistance gene present	e
			No opinion	f
4.		Please rank the following infectious diseases where you think a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) would be particularly useful at the present moment in time.	Respiratory/gastrointestinal/sexually transmitted diseases/urinary tract infections/woundcare/oral infections/hospital acquired infections/blood culture infections
			Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
5.		What would be your preferred maximum “time to diagnosis” for a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	0 minutes to 5 minutes	a
			6 minutes to 15 minutes	b
			16 minutes to 30 minutes	c
			31 minutes to 60 minutes	d
			1 to 2 hours	e
			2 to 5 hours	f
			>5 hours	g
6.		Complexity: in your opinion, what is the maximum number of processing steps that should be performed when using a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	1 step	a
			2 steps	b
			3 steps	c
			4 steps	d
			>4 steps	e
7.		What is your opinion on the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing within your own hospital wards?	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
8.		What is your opinion on the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery?	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
9.		What would be your opinion if bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing became available within the patient’s own home (with patients able to perform their own diagnostic testing)?	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
10.	a)	In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing to hospital wards (to be performed by nonmedical microbiology specialist doctors and nurses), affect your professional status?	Definitely yes	a
			Yes	b
			No	c
			Definitely no	d
			Don’t know	e
	b)	If yes, how do you think it would affect your professional status?	Very positively	a
			Positively	b
			Negatively	c
			Very negatively	d
			Don’t know	e
11.		Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing technologies will:
	a)	Allow you to better monitor your patients’ health?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Don’t know	c
	b)	Allow patients to better monitor their health?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Don’t know	c
	c)	Increase or decrease the number of visits patients make to their general practitioner?	Greatly increase	a
			Increase	b
			Decrease	c
			Greatly decrease	d
			Have no effect	e
			Don’t know	f
	d)	Impact on the doctor-patient relationship?	Yes (in a positive context)	a
			Yes (in a negative context)	b
			No	c
			Don’t know	d
12.		Do you think that there will be significant problems in interpretating the results of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic tests?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Don’t know	c
13.		In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the quality of patient care?	Definitely yes	a
			Yes	b
			No	c
			Definitely no	d
			Don’t know	e
14.		What is your opinion on the following statements:
	a)	“Infectious disease home-testing kits are being developed that will allow people to test themselves at home without medical supervision for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
	b)	“Test-kits are being developed that will allow people to be tested at their own general practitioner’s surgery for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
15.		Do you believe that the use of bacterial and fungal point-of-care test(s) will positively or negatively affect how patients view your profession?	Very positively	a
			Positively	b
			Negatively	c
			Very negatively	d
			Don’t know	e
			No effect	f
16.		In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the jobs of currently employed medical microbiologists?	Definitely yes	a
			Yes	b
			No	c
			Definitely no	d
			Don’t know	e
17.		In your opinion, would there still be a role for qualified hospital medical microbiologists and trained medical microbiology diagnostic laboratory technicians if bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing became widely available and used in hospital wards, in general practitioners surgeries, and at home by patients?	Definitely yes	a
			Yes	b
			No	c
			Definitely no	d
			Don’t know	e

Point-of-care test manufacturers

Q no	Labels	Question	Options	Option labels
1.		Which type of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test (including tests available to general practitioners, hospital laboratories, and in the home) do you currently have available on the market? (multiple answers allowed).	Nucleic acid based	a
			Antibody based	b
			Protein based	c
			Metabolomic	d
			Other	e
			No test currently available	f
2.		In your opinion, what are the most important factors with respect to infectious disease “point-of-care” testing? (multiple answers allowed).	Costs	a
			Sensitivity	b
			Specificity	c
			Simplicity	d
			Reliability	e
			Time to diagnosis	f
3.		How specific should a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test be? The test should be able to distinguish between …	Bacteria or fungi or viruses or no infection only	a
			Bacterial/fungal species	b
			Bacterial/fungal sub-species and major genetic types and clones	c
			Class of antibiotic resistance (eg, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, fluoroquinolone, etc)	d
			Actual antibiotic resistance gene present	e
			No opinion	f
4.	a)	For which disease type(s) have you developed, or are you developing, a “point-of-care” test? (multiple answers allowed).	Respiratory	a
			Gastrointestinal	b
			Sexually transmitted diseases	c
			Urinary tract infections	d
			Woundcare	e
			Oral infections	f
			Hospital acquired infections	g
			Blood culture infections	h
			None	i
			Confidential	j
	b)	Which infectious disease type is likely to be most profitable for manufacturers of infectious disease “point-of-care” tests? Please rank in order of importance.	Respiratory	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Gastrointestinal	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Sexually transmitted diseases	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Urinary tract infections	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Woundcare	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Oral infections	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Hospital acquired infections	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
			Blood culture infections	Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
5.		How long do you estimate the time to diagnosis for your bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test to be?	0 minutes to 5 minutes	a
			6 minutes to 15 minutes	b
			16 minutes to 30 minutes	c
			31 minutes to 60 minutes	d
			1 to 2 hours	e
			2 to 5 hours	f
			>5 hours	g
			Not known	h
			Confidential	i
			Not applicable	j
6.		Complexity: in your opinion, what is the maximum number of processing steps that should be performed when using a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	1 step	a
			2 steps	b
			3 steps	c
			4 steps	d
			>4 steps	e
7.		How much does your “point-of-care” cost (per test) on the market (in euro)?	€ 0,– per test	a
			€ 1,– to € 5,– per test	b
			€ 6,– to € 10,– per test	c
			€ 11,– to € 25,– per test	d
			€ 26,– to € 50,– per test	e
			€ 51,– to € 100,– per test	f
			€ 100,– per test	g
			Not known	h
			Confidential	i
			Not applicable	j
8.		In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the quality of patient care?	Definitely yes	a
			Yes	b
			No	c
			Definitely no	d
			Don’t know	e
9.		What is your opinion on the following statements:
	a)	“Infectious disease home-testing kits are being developed that will allow people to test themselves at home without medical supervision for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
	b)	“Test-kits are being developed that will allow people to be tested at their own general practitioner’s surgery for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
10.		Do you believe that the use of bacterial and fungal point-of-care test(s) will positively or negatively affect how patients view your profession?	Very positively	a
			Positively	b
			Negatively	c
			Very negatively	d
			Don’t know	e
			No effect	f
11.		Which type of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test (including tests available to general practitioners, hospital laboratories, and in the home) are you currently developing? (multiple answers allowed).	Nucleic acid based	a
			Antibody based	b
			Protein based	c
			Metabolomic	d
			Other	e
			No test currently available	f
			Confidential	g
12.		For which market have you, or are you, developing your bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” tests?	General practitioners	a
			Hospital laboratories	b
			Home use	c
			Confidential	d
			Not applicable	e
13.		Which factors would/do you take into consideration if/when developing new bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” tests? Please rank in importance.	Size of target audience	a
			Profit margin	b
			Prevalence of disease	c
			Costs of manufacture	d
			Ease of use for the end-user	e
			Costs of kit development	f
			Reputation of kit manufacturer	g
14.		Which factor(s) do you think are the most important in influencing hospitals and general practitioners to use bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” tests for a diagnostics laboratory? Please rank in importance.	Cost per test	a
			Simplicity of test methodology	b
			Speed of diagnosis	c
			Robustness and reliability of the test kit	d
			Ease of use for the end-user	e
			Reputation of the manufacturer	f
			Sensitivity	g
			Specificity	h

General public

Q no	Labels	Question	Options	Option labels
1.		What is your opinion on the use of infectious disease home-testing-kits that would allow you to monitor your health at home?	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
2.		If a home-testing kit for infectious diseases was available, what is the maximum time that you would be prepared to wait for a result?	0 minutes to 5 minutes	a
			6 minutes to 15 minutes	b
			16 minutes to 30 minutes	c
			31 minutes to 60 minutes	d
			1 to 2 hours	e
			2 to 5 hours	f
			>5 hours	g
3.		If a home-testing kit for infectious diseases was available (and you had to purchase the kit yourself) what is the maximum cost that you would be prepared to pay for a single test (in euro)?	€ 0,– per test	a
			€ 1,– to € 5,– per test	b
			€ 6,– to € 10,– per test	c
			€ 11,– to € 25,– per test	d
			€ 26,– to € 50,– per test	e
			€ 51,– to € 100,– per test	f
			>€ 100,– per test	g
4.		Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing technologies will:
	a)	Allow you to better monitor your health?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Don’t know	c
	b)	Allow a doctor to better monitor your health?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Don’t know	c
	c)	Likely increase or decrease the number of visits you make to your general practitioner?	Greatly increase	a
			Increase	b
			Decrease	c
			Greatly decrease	d
			Have no effect	e
			Don’t know	f
	d)	Impact on the doctor-patient relationship?	Yes (in a positive context)	a
			Yes (in a negative context)	b
			No	c
			Don’t know	d
5.		Do you think that there will be significant problems in interpretating the results of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic tests?	Yes	a
			No	b
			Don’t know	c
6.		In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the quality of your health care?	Definitely yes	a
			Yes	b
			No	c
			Definitely no	d
			Don’t know	e
7.		What is your opinion on the following statements:
	a)	“Infectious disease home-testing kits are being developed that will allow people to test themselves at home without medical supervision for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
	b)	“Test-kits are being developed that will allow people to be tested at their own general practitioner’s surgery for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable	a
			Favorable	b
			Unfavorable	c
			Very unfavorable	d
			No opinion	e
8.		If not available for free, where would you prefer to buy an infectious disease home-testing kit? (multiple choices allowed).	Your local hospital	a
			General practitioner	b
			Pharmacy	c
			Drugstore	d
			Supermarket	e
			Internet	f

General practitioners

Q no	Labels	Question	Options
1.	a)	Do you use bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) for the diagnosis of infectious diseases at the moment?	Yes
			No
	b)	If yes, which type of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) do you use? (multiple answers allowed).	Nucleic acid based
			Antibody based
			Protein based
			Metabolomic
			Don’t know
			Other
	c)	If no, would you consider using and infectious disease “point-of-care” test in your practice in the future?	Yes
			No
			Perhaps
			Don’t know
2.		In your opinion, what are the most important factors with respect to bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing? (multiple answers allowed).	Costs
			Sensitivity
			Specificity
			Simplicity
			Reliability
			Time to diagnosis
3.		How specific should a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test be? The test should be able to distinguish between …	Bacteria or fungi or viruses or no infection only
			Bacterial/fungal species
			Bacterial/fungal sub-species and major genetic types and clones
			Class of antibiotic resistance (eg, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, fluoroquinolone, etc)
			Actual antibiotic resistance gene present
			No opinion
4.		Please rank the following infectious diseases where you think bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test(s) would be particularly useful at the present moment in time.	Respiratory/gastrointestinal/sexually transmitted diseases/urinary tract infections/woundcare/oral infections/hospital acquired infections/blood culture infections
			Absolutely necessary/probably useful/not useful/no opinion
5.		What would be the maximum useful “time to diagnosis” for an bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	0 minutes to 5 minutes
			6 minutes to 15 minutes
			16 minutes to 30 minutes
			31 minutes to 60 minutes
			1 to 2 hours
			2 to 5 hours
			>5 hours
6.		Complexity: in your opinion, what is the maximum number of processing steps that should be performed when using a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test?	1 step
			2 steps
			3 steps
			4 steps
			>4 steps
7.		What in your opinion should be the current maximum cost per test for a bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” test (in euro)?	€ 0,– per test
			€ 1,– to € 5,– per test
			€ 6,– to € 10,– per test
			€ 11,– to € 25,– per test
			€ 26,– to € 50,– per test
			€ 51,– to € 100,– per test
			>€ 100,– per test
8.		What is your opinion on the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery?	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
9.		What would be your opinion if bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing became available within the patient’s own home (with patients able to perform their own diagnostic testing)?	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
10.		Do you think that home-testing using bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” testing technologies will:
	a)	Allow you to better monitor your patients’ health?	Yes
			No
			Don’t know
	b)	Allow patients to better monitor their health?	Yes
			No
			Don’t know
	c)	Increase or decrease the number of visits patients make to their general practitioner?	Greatly increase
			Increase
			Decrease
			Greatly decrease
			Have no effect
			Don’t know
	d)	Impact on the doctor-patient relationship?	Yes (in a positive context)
			Yes (in a negative context)
			No
			Don’t know
11.		Do you think that there will be significant problems in interpretating the results of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic tests?	Yes
			No
			Don’t know
12.		In your opinion, would the introduction of bacterial or fungal “point-of-care” diagnostic testing to the general practitioner’s surgery, or within the patient’s own home, affect the quality of patient care?	Definitely yes
			Yes
			No
			Definitely no
			Don’t know
13.		What is your opinion on the following statements:
	a)	“Infectious disease home-testing kits are being developed that will allow people to test themselves at home without medical supervision for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
	b)	“Test-kits are being developed that will allow people to be tested at their own general practitioner’s surgery for the presence of infectious diseases?”	Very favorable
			Favorable
			Unfavorable
			Very unfavorable
			No opinion
14.		Do you believe that the use of bacterial and fungal point-of-care test(s) will positively or negatively affect how patients view your profession?	Very positively
			Positively
			Negatively
			Very negatively
			Don’t know
			No effect
15.		Do you believe that the use of bacterial and fungal point-of-care test(s) will positively or negatively affect:
	a)	Your health budget?	Very positively
			Positively
			Negatively
			Very negatively
			No change
			Don’t know
	b)	The number of patient visits you receive?	Very positively
			Positively
			Negatively
			Very negatively
			No change
			Don’t know