Management of Point-of-care Testing

Abstract

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is becoming increasingly vital in emergency, pediatric, and other healthcare settings, and offers rapid results and several advantages over central laboratory testing. These include improved diagnostic quality, reduced diagnosis time, and shorter hospital stays. The effectiveness of POCT is particularly evident in emergency rooms and intensive care units, where it aids in diagnosing infections, measuring blood sugar, and electrolyte imbalances, and other important biomarkers, thus facilitating swift initiation of treatment. However, in pediatric care, challenges remain, such as the lack of established reference ranges, expert oversight, and robust quality control systems. Issues like practitioner training, prompt error handling, and regular quality control (both internal and external) need improvement to ensure consistent accuracy. Despite these challenges, POCT offers significant benefits, especially in acute and remote settings, by accelerating diagnosis, enhancing disease management, and increasing patient satisfaction. To maximize its potential in pediatric care, further research is needed to establish pediatric-specific reference ranges and detection thresholds. POCT is currently being developed using several advanced technologies, including microfluidics, multiplexed analysis, plasmonics, electrochemiluminescence, diazo reactions, and optical fiber systems. Proper management of all POCT phases is vital for its safe and effective clinical application.

Keywords

• critical care
• disease management
• emergency medical services
• point-of-care testing
• quality control