COVID-19: Diagnostics and Testing Course - Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics FutureLearn

Get the latest recommendations on COVID-19 diagnostics and testing, and how to improve testing capacity in low-income settings.

Understand the key role diagnostics play in outbreak control

As the world struggles to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare infrastructure and testing capacity have emerged as major issues.

Different countries have implemented different testing strategies, and from the range of diagnostic tests available, some have received authorization for use by national regulatory agencies.

There’s a need for an independent evaluation of these tests and guidance on implementing safe and reliable testing.

In this course, you’ll discover the latest recommendations on COVID-19 testing and get up-to-date information on the performance of tests and how best to deploy them.

What topics will you cover?

• The current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of diagnostics in the response.
• The different types of diagnostic tests and their use in the COVID-19 outbreak.
• The current recommendations on the use of COVID-19 diagnostics and testing strategies.
• How countries are establishing and scaling up COVID-19 testing, and key considerations for safety, quality and impact of diagnostic services.

When would you like to start?

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts.

• Available now

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:

• Identify different types of diagnostics for COVID-19 testing, explore their current use in the COVID-19 response to better understand how they can be implemented in your country.
• Engage with your peers and learn how countries are scaling up testing capacity while exploring key considerations to inform your country planning and implementation.
• Identify key technical and operational considerations for testing and how to apply them to your setting to ensure safe and quality-assured testing services.
• Develop an understanding of global recommendations on the use of COVID-19 diagnostics and testing strategies.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for professionals involved in the testing and diagnosis of COVID-19, with a focus on low- and middle-income settings.

This may include Ministry of Health officials, laboratory managers, laboratory technologists and technicians, clinicians, programme managers, implementing partners and others involved in laboratory testing for COVID-19.

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics

FIND is a global non-profit organization that drives innovation in the development and delivery of diagnostics to combat major diseases affecting the world’s poorest populations. We turn complex diagnostic challenges into simple solutions through unique partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors. FIND is working closely with partners including the World Health Organization in support of the global effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

African Society for Laboratory Medicine

The African Society for Laboratory Medicine is an independent, non-profit organisation founded in 2011 that coordinates, galvanises and mobilises relevant stakeholders from the local to international levels to improve local access to world-class diagnostic services and ensure healthy African communities. ASLM is the first pan-African society for laboratory professionals, endorsed by the African Union and supported by multiple African Ministers of Health through its Ministerial Call for Action.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world leader in research and postgraduate education in public and global health. Its mission is to improve health and health equity worldwide.

Join this course