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QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF
POINT OF CARE TESTING
By Irwin Z. Rothenberg, MBA, MS, CLS(ASCP), Technical Writer / Quality Advisor, COLA Resources, Inc.
With emerging technological innovations in healthcare,
including smartphone apps, biosensors, lab-on-a chip, and
wearable devices—all of which offer a closer connection to the
patient—point-of-care (POC) technologies are quickly
becoming part of the transformation of the healthcare
landscape. The driving concept in support of point-of-care
testing (POCT) is to bring testing closer to the patient and
results conveniently and quickly to the provider to expedite
diagnosis and subsequent treatment. POCT allows for faster
clinical decisions in hospitals, physicians’ offices, ambulances,
patient homes, and in the field.
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) defines POCT as
“testing that is performed near or at the site of a patient with the
result leading to a possible change in the care of the patient.”
POCT’s popularity has risen in recent years due to its
convenience, timeliness, and potential to improve patient
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outcomes. In fact, POCT is estimated to be increasing at
10-12% annually, compared to a 6-7% annual increase for other
clinical laboratory testing. Used appropriately, POCT can be a
key component in meeting the goals of simultaneously
improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
Hundreds of tests once considered too complex for POCT
are now routinely performed outside the laboratory. Sensor
technologies enable the rapid analysis of blood samples for
many critical care assays, including:
• Blood gases/electrolytes
• Cardiac markers
• Cholesterol/lipids
• Coagulation monitoring (INR; ACT, Heparin;
Hemostasis Assessment)
• Drugs of abuse testing (DOA)
• Fecal occult blood
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