Point of Care Testing

When you visit your doctor they often need to do some tests. Typically this will involve you attending a pathology collection center where a blood collector will take a sample from your arm and place it in a tube. The samples are then collected by a courier and transferred to a large centralized laboratory. These labs can do a wide range of tests on many thousands of samples every day but some tests can be performed close to the patient. These are called point-of-care or near patient tests This type of testing is often used in intensive care units where results are needed quickly but they can also be performed in the GP surgery or sometimes by the patient in their home.

00:53 - The tests can typically be performed on a finger prick sample and because they are done there and then treatment plans can be changed without the need for a return visit. There are a number of different tests which can be done using point of care instruments and they used to diagnose and monitor a range of conditions. Point of care testing does have some limitations The cost of point-of-care tests is higher than performing the same tests in a laboratory but this must be set against some of the economic benefits of the testing to the patient and health system as a whole. The range of tests is limited and sometimes a different test will require a different instrument. The practice must also train their staff to perform the tests safely and with appropriate quality control If you would like more information on point-of-care tests please visit our website .