Point-of-care testing in the United Kingdom

Point-of-care testing in the United Kingdom is currently at the embryo stage of development, and is approximately 10 years behind the United States in incorporation and application into clinical practice. Safeguards to ensure proper use are not in place within the UK at present, and there is no legal requirement for POCT users to be proficiency tested by an internal or external body before they can routinely use the equipment. Internal quality control and external quality assessment are not statutory requirements within the UK, leading to unease regarding the extent and range of point-of-care tests offered and whether the results are a true biochemical representation of the patient's clinical condition. Cost-benefit analysis is very sparse, but faster turnaround times can only lead to more rapid treatment of the patient, which will lead to fewer clinical complications. This will result in decreased hospital admissions by the emergency department and reduced length of hospital stay in ward-based patients. National Health Service (NHS) accountants will see this, as the way forward, as fewer patients being admitted into hospital and length of stay reduction will result in decreased expenditure by the service provider.