Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, terms like PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests were the domain of medical professionals, and seldom used in conversation by the general public.
Mandatory isolation requirements (lockdowns) demonstrated the importance of patients being able to monitor and manage their acute conditions, such as COVID-19, from home.
Point-of-care testing (PoCT) offers the convenience of performing an In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) test (meaning "the examination of specimens derived from the human body") in the comfort of their own homes.
The value of PoCT was further reinforced when access to hospitals and pathology collection centres was complicated, by the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to immunocompromised patients. In particular, this affected a population of Australian children with congenital or childhood-acquired heart disease (HeartKids).