POINT OF CARE TESTING ARTICLES

Currently, there is a move in healthcare that would see a range of diagnostic services relocated from hospitals into the urban environment of town and city centres, to facilitate easier patient access. Here, Tony Cambridge focuses on a selection of models proposed for the delivery of in vitro diagnostic testing outside the traditional laboratory and in the community.

Point-of-care testing has found application across the breadth of healthcare, a recent prime example being the role of viscoelastic POC testing in post-partum bleeding management in obstetrics.

Although the exact cause of pre-eclampsia is not known, it is thought to occur when a problem develops with the placenta. Routine blood pressure and proteinuria checks are performed during the antenatal period to detect this condition, and can now be complemented by the addition of near-patient placental growth factor testing.

High-sensitivity assays and point-of-care testing are having a significant effect on how quickly acute coronary syndrome can be examined. Here, Holger Gundelach discusses how this is improving patient outcomes.