Assuring quality in laboratory testing at the point of care

The science of laboratory medicine has undergone much change during recent years. Despite more recent emphasis on quality improvement, there has not been sufficient attention paid to effective quality management of new approaches to laboratory testing such as point of care testing. It is important that appropriate resources be allocated to quality management, so that waste is minimized and that resources which are expended may be demonstrated to affect the quality of patient care in a positive way. Older quality management tools such as process quality control and proficiency testing are vital to the success of point of care testing programs, however, new ways of looking at the use of these tools are required. Newer approaches such as electronic quality control of point of care devices and an expanded role of total quality management strategies will enhance rather than supplant the more traditional quality improvement mechanisms.