[Present and future use of point-of-care testing]

The use of point-of-care testing (POCT) for patient-based biochemical measurements in blood is growing rapidly, and the number will likely increase dramatically outside hospitals in the coming years due to healthcare reform and pressure on various healthcare sectors. This literature review finds that it calls for attention to the analysis performance and its limitations, as well as with the skills of the equipment users (including citizens). The Danish Institute for Quality in Healthcare has recommended that national standards for the quality assurance of POCT be established, and we, as laboratories, would be happy to help identify which areas requires national standardisation.