We are proposing that those who are responsible for acting on policy recommendations should consider the design of procedural instructions for lay people involved in home or community testing, to complement the legislative requirement for those embedded in the Instructions for Use (IFUs).
Our policy Brief, which has recently been made available through the Pandemic & Beyond website, outlines our key policy recommendations. They include:
- Promote the practice of preparing clear and easy-to-follow point of use instructions.
- Encourage test manufacturers and suppliers to consider point-of-use instructions when creating documentation for their tests and support manufacturers and distributors in preparation of these to suit specific audiences and circumstances.
- Implement user-centred design research and practice in producing instructional documentation for users.
A ‘toolkit’ that we have in development aims to feedback the findings of our research through industry bodies and health groups to raise awareness of the importance of Point of Use instructions.
We are delighted to be joined by Ily, who has a background in Pharmacy and experience working in a COVID-19 testing service delivery. She is liaising with regulation implementors and service providers to better understand whether companies recognise this as an issue, and to explore what guidance they would find helpful.