Point of Care Testing (POCT)
Point of Care Testing (POCT) refers to all devices and processes used outside the traditional laboratory setting to perform analytical testing for a patient by a healthcare professional.
POCT provides a comprehensive service to clinicians and commissioners, including advice on equipment, assistance with commissioning / purchasing, training, quality monitoring and problem solving.
The POCT team in Pathology look after training, maintenance and servicing of the following POCT equipment.
- Radiometer ABL90 Flex Blood Gas Analysers
- Roche Inform II glucose meters
- Nova Ketone meters
- Roche Liat instruments for fluA, fluB and RSV (Seasonal for A&E & Paediatrics)
- Abbott Affinity HbA1c instruments (Paediatrics)
- Abbot ISTAT Alinity for ACT, creatinine and gases
- Katalyst HemoScreen for full blood count (Oncology)*
- Siemens Clinitek Connect urine analysis (Currently Bedford site only) and Pregnancy testing (Both sites)
- Roche Coagucheck II for INR
- Prospect Hemocontrol (Bedford) for Hb in theatres*
- Radiometer Hemocue (L&D) for Hb in theatres
All equipment is interfaced to the laboratory information system and reports generated on ICE/Nervecentre except those marked with *.
If there is a requirement for new POCT equipment please contact your site POCT team who will send through the required paperwork to be filled out and presented at the POCT Management Group meeting held on alternate months.
Access to POCT equipment is via barcodes which are issued after training by the POCT team.
There is currently no out of hours support for POCT equipment and users are asked to use the nearest areas equipment when their local one fails.
If there is a major issue affecting all instruments then the laboratory is the main back up.