Closer to the Patient: Miniaturization of Point-of-Care Testing Devices

According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 years or older will rise from 900 million in 2015 to 2 billion in 2050, accounting for more than one-fifth of the world’s population. At about the same time, the number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple. To cope with the medical demands of a rapidly growing population of elderly people, medical product designers will strive to develop clinical diagnostic instruments and medical devices that are smaller, more portable, easier to use, and ultimately, located closer to the patient, whether at home or at the point of care.