Point of care testing

Abstract

Point of care testing (POCT), also known as near patient testing, offers significant potential advantages over laboratory-based testing. These include rapid response times to facilitate and improve management decisions, as well as ease of use. However, there are also significant issues regarding equipment maintenance, calibration, and governance which often limits the clinical implementation of some devices. As range of POCT devices is discussed. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.