POCT Beyond the Hospital as a Preventive Medicine Model, Using the Mobile Health Check System in Japan

Abstract

Many point-of-care testing (POCT) devices have an advantage for use beyond the hospital itself because of their portability. We introduced the Mobile Health Check (MHC) system, which is used by both nurses and medical technologists. While the medical technologist performs the laboratory tests, the nurse is able to focus on assessment. We applied this MHC system as one of the tools used in preventive medicine. We recruited healthy volunteers with informed consent. A single-use lancet was used to obtain a blood sample. The sample was analyzed using a POCT device by the medical technologist. The medical technologist also explained the meaning of each test to volunteers who requested the information. The nurse also conducted informative talks regarding general healthy lifestyles without giving any diagnostic information. We also submitted questionnaires to the volunteers for their impression of the MHC system. Representative results showed 86% of respondents would use the health check system. Thirty percent of respondents would use it as an annual check and 36% would use it biannually. Eighty-four percent of respondents approved of the real-time testing and the explanations given for each of the tests. The MHC system shows real-time health check results and explains the test value to bring health conditions to their attention, especially for people who live in inaccessible areas or do not have means of transportation, as the benefit of MHC is mobility and ease of access in Japan. However, there are several issues that need to be addressed to improve the MHC system such as cost, communication with physician, and test data reliability. Any modifications to the MHC program will be addressed as the need arises.