Point of Care Testing (POCT)

The NHSGGC Point of Care Testing (POCT) committee meets bi-annually with the aim of policy-making and review of sector POCT groups. The committee also includes Primary Care representation with the aim of guiding appropriate POCT governance in the community. The POCT Co-ordinators management group meets quarterly, with multidisciplinary representation and includes user representation where appropriate. The group focus on implementation and monitoring of POCT activity within each sector.

If you use POCT in your clinical area you must ensure your device is registered with the NHSGGC POCT committee.

What is Point of Care Testing (POCT) Testing?

Point of Care testing is defined as ‘Diagnostic testing that is performed near to or at the site of patient care with the result leading to a possible change in the care of the patient.*’ This normally takes place in a non-laboratory setting by appropriately trained non-laboratory staff.

ISO 227870: 2016 Point of Care Testing (POCT) – Requirements for Quality and Competence.

Potential Advantages of POCT

Rapid turnaround of results

Reduced patient waiting times
Earlier impact on clinical decision making
Financial efficiencies

Less invasive

Smaller sample volumes

Accessibility

Ability to reach remote places
Improved healthcare access

Potential Disadvantages of POCT

Expensive compared to conventional laboratory testing

Cost of consumables, IQC, EQA
Staff resource required at source of testing

Sample quality

Higher rate of pre-analytical errors are associated with POCT due to poor sample quality

Staff Training, competence and documentation

Appropriate training and continued competency checks required to ensure accurate results
POCT may need to be manually entered into patient record which is potentially problematic