Background and Aim: Mobile laboratories have emerged as critical assets in crisis response; however, existing research in this field has been reported sporadically across various types of crises, and no comprehensive framework exists for analyzing their applications. The aim of the present scoping review is to provide a comprehensive description and classification of published research studies on applications, operational challenges, and strategic implications of mobile laboratories in the context of disaster management with emphasis on crisis types, their efficacy, and recent trends in this evolving field. The review is also designed to identify the main research gaps and to suggest recommendations for future research plans.
Material and Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the five-stage framework by Arksey and O'Malley, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Magiran, IranMedex, SID, and IranDoc databases for articles published between 2000 and 2024. Search terms included crisis, disaster, mobile laboratory, disaster preparedness, and disaster management in Persian sources, and (Disaster, Mobile Laboratory, Mobile Lab, Disaster management, Deployable lab, and Disaster preparation) in English sources. Eligible studies included empirical research, case reports, and systematic reviews related to the deployment of mobile laboratories in crisis conditions, published in Persian or English with available full text. Two independent researchers performed the title/abstract and full-text screening stages. Data extraction focused on crisis type, operational challenges, and strategic implications.
Results: Among 1,262 identified records, 13 studies met the selection criteria. Three main themes were identified: 1) Diagnostic and monitoring applications in pandemics and natural disasters; 2) Operational challenges including logistical limitations and standardization issues; and 3) Strategic implications in governance and global health security. Mobile laboratories demonstrated significant impact in disaster management, including reduction of test turnaround time and enabling rapid testing capabilities.
Conclusion: While mobile laboratories serve as multi-purpose platforms across all phases of the crisis management cycle, their potential has not been fully realized due to fragmented standards. An emerging trend focuses on developing World Health Organization-approved operational standards and cost-benefit analyses, and there is increasing international interest in formulating competency-based training frameworks.