Expert Consensus on Point-of-Care Testing: Balancing Speed and Accuracy in Modern Lab Medicine
This collective opinion paper from a 2024 Venice expert meeting provides a state-of-the-art overview of POCT, covering its advantages (accessibility, speed, reduced pre-analytical errors) and limitations (accuracy concerns, QC challenges, regulatory compliance). The authors emphasise that while POCT is a breakthrough in laboratory medicine, appropriate validation, operator training, and connectivity solutions are essential. The paper offers practical guidance on integrating POCT within clinical pathways to optimise cost-effectiveness.
The original study
Point-of-care testing: state-of-the art and perspectives.
- Authors
- Plebani M, Nichols JH, Luppa PB, Greene D, Sciacovelli L, Shaw J, et al.
- Journal
- Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine
- Type
- Journal Article, Review
- PMID
- 38880779
Original abstract
Point-of-care testing (POCT) is becoming an increasingly popular way to perform laboratory tests closer to the patient. This option has several recognized advantages, such as accessibility, portability, speed, convenience, ease of use, ever-growing test panels, lower cumulative healthcare costs when used within appropriate clinical pathways, better patient empowerment and engagement, and reduction of certain pre-analytical errors, especially those related to specimen transportation. On the other hand, POCT also poses some limitations and risks, namely the risk of lower accuracy and reliability compared to traditional laboratory tests, quality control and connectivity issues, high dependence on operators (with varying levels of expertise or training), challenges related to patient data management, higher costs per individual test, regulatory and compliance issues such as the need for appropriate validation prior to clinical use (especially for rapid diagnostic tests; RDTs), as well as additional preanalytical sources of error that may remain undetected in this type of testing, which is usually based on whole blood samples (i.e., presence of interfering substances, clotting, hemolysis, etc.). There is no doubt that POCT is a breakthrough innovation in laboratory medicine, but the discussion on its appropriate use requires further debate and initiatives. This collective opinion paper, composed of abstracts of the lectures presented at the two-day expert meeting "Point-Of-Care-Testing: State of the Art and Perspective" (Venice, April 4-5, 2024), aims to provide a thoughtful overview of the state-of-the-art in POCT, its current applications, advantages and potential limitations, as well as some interesting reflections on the future perspectives of this particular field of laboratory medicine.