Although blood glucose measurement is commonly performed, the use of a whole-blood sample introduces complications and compromise in terms of the assay principle, the method of calibration and the expression of results. Most point-of-care systems are calibrated against a method chosen by the manufacturer for...

England's Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals have a POCT system they consider a success. This is a roadmap of the steps they have taken.

The Directive is a complex and detailed document and in the following the author focuses on some of the items that are particularly important for the user to be aware of.  Most of the rules will apply to the manufacturers and the public and the users will take advantage of the rulings if they become aware of their...

Since Meakins in 1927 described the relationship between increased blood lactate levels and the presence of oxygen debt (tissue hypoxia) in patients with circulatory shock [1], lactate levels have been used to diagnose and monitor the treatment of these patients. However, as lactate is a normal (end) product of...

Since the mid 1990's Point of Care Testing (POCT) has been viewed as a solution to a declared need for Short Turn Around Testing (STAT).  However, is it being utilized in a way that meets the needs of improving patient care and hospital quality assurance? What is STAT testing, why and how did it become POCT? How is...

With the increasing number of blood tests performed at the point of care (POC), it has become more and more important to perform method comparison studies, comparing new methods to the existing methods used in the laboratory (LAB). This is done primarily to ensure that uniform results are reported throughout the...

According to the Hvidovre Hospital, standardizing is a must if POCT is to run optimally. In the first article of the series "POCT setups for blood gas", acutecaretesting.org interviews the Danish hospital on how they have successfully implemented POCT.

Attention to how data are handled by different groups in a hospital is important when interfacing a point-of-care testing system. Consideration of existing data handling practices and future data evaluation needs - before, during, and after installation - and careful planning in cooperation with each hospital...

If you think only private corporations can call themselves project organizations, think again. Hospitals around the world are increasingly seeing themselves as project organizations and relying on project groups to explore and implement new technologies.  Meanwhile, healthcare workers participating in these projects...

In a 1999 study, the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that 44,000 to 98,000 hospitalized Americans die each year from preventable medical errors. While the number of serious medical errors attributable to point of care (point-of-care testing, POCT) is not known, the testing environment (patient bedside) and...