Near patient testing in diabetes clinics: Appraising the costs and outcomes

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the introduction of an NPT system for a hospital-based diabetes clinic. The report was intended to provide timely and relevant information for those considering the introduction of such systems into routine practice and to highlight those areas where further research is needed. By demonstrating that NPT increases both the utilisation of tests and health service costs, the findings of this project have confirmed those of previous studies of NPT. The results also indicate that NPT may improve both the process of care and patient satisfaction. In addition, the results of this research have generated important hypotheses that need to be explored in further evaluations of NPT in diabetes care. These concern the impact of NPT on clinical outcomes, measured by mean HbA(1C), and the frequency of patient visits to clinics. Both of these effects have potential consequences for the health service and for the patient costs of diabetes care.