---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:testing-strategy"
type: "GovLab topic page"
title: "Testing Strategy"
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/testing-strategy"
summary: "How do we design and source tests? How do we determine whom to test? What is the best strategy to administer tests and collect data?"
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Testing Strategy

How do we design and source tests? How do we determine whom to test? What is the best strategy to administer tests and collect data?

[RECOMMENDATIONS MEMO](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zKEiumAM1lKJBdijORviBacpkbE9Z63V5tHWq2f4nms/edit?usp=sharing) [CONFERENCE TAKEAWAYS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bVMfzHyIelGvaWA-oVnb9JqykmCqZ1-QqYOBm5blQxM/edit?usp=sharing)

## DESCRIPTION

We identify three categories of problems associated with testing. How should we design and source tests? This involves the challenge of how to increase the availability of testing and reliability of the existing tests. In addition to barriers associated with the supply chain, it is important to overcome political barriers to increasing testing when officials may not want to highlight the size of the problem. How do we determine whom to test? Countries must set testing priorities. This requires identifying at risk populations, determining how frequently people should be tested, and developing procedures for what to do when testing is not an option. Finally, administering tests and collecting data involves a range of challenges, including the need to convince the public to get tested, standardizing the information that is collected and reported, and establishing processes for getting data to decision-makers.

[READ THE PROBLEM DESCRIPTION](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LHALQiytFTbzU77l7WWmS2saUiLY2k-SjXKlOk0sL1Y/edit?usp=sharing) [READ THE REGIONAL REPORT](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hgJ9YTMq9RZLl6LM6lC2z5qDJ5gFAAE7ZtmQkY5Ajb4/edit?usp=sharing) [AGENDA AND LOGISTICS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N91jviwqdxFPsgvKnES3u8UMZLtU2NorJ8KA5dZ7zsA/edit?usp=sharing) [EXPERTS AND PARTICIPANTS](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZFLCdLyl4nI6a6ZVOkJvGFJ5hnTpOU4F3_rlBsSDQMI/edit?usp=sharing)

## RECOMMENDATION

[

Pooled Testing

Governments and researchers should implement pooled testing strategies, innovating with pool design through ranking schemes or geographic schemes.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/pooled-testing)

[

National Patient Identifiers

Governments should take steps toward developing a unique health identifier/national patient identifier system (UHI/NPI) that unambiguously identifies each individual and links her to her health records, including test results.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/national-patient-identifiers)

[

High-risk populations

Governments should prioritize conducting tests among populations with a high probability of 1) contracting the virus; 2), spreading it to others; and 3) suffering serious consequences as a result of infection.

](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/high-risk-populations)

[EXPLORE THE RECOMMENDATIONS](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations)