Point of care testing – putting the patient first
Point of care testing (PoCT) are tests that because of modern technology can be performed nearer to the patient, for example on a ward or clinic, in a GP surgery, or by district nurses in the patient’s home. All grades or professions can be involved in PoCT.
Point of care devices are currently being used across South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in a variety of settings from emergency medicine to acute care to helping speed up the diagnostic process often streamlining treatment putting patients on the correct treatment pathway.
The term point of care testing (PoCT) is a term people will be hearing more frequently as new technologies and development of new PoCT is on-going at a rapid pace, and is a significant growth area in modern pathology.
Common point of care tests
- Blood gas
- Blood glucose/ketones
- Urinalysis
- Urine pregnancy test
- Fetal fibronectin
- Haemaglobin
- INR tests
Some point of care tests are relatively simple to perform (for example urinalysis) and are commonly undertaken in most clinical areas, while others (for example blood gas) require sophisticated equipment and are restricted to more specialist units.
If you have any feedback for the team about the information above, please complete the following survey: POCT Survey
Staff information
For contact details, information on upcoming training dates and details of devices in use, staff can use the South Tees intranet page.