Point-of-care testing

Point-of-care testing refers to testing outside of the central laboratory at or near the patient's bedside. The practice greatly decreases turnaround time for testing and has improved outcome and decreased length of stay in some patient groups. Advances in technology have made analyzers increasingly portable with expanded testing capacities while maintaining standards for accuracy required by regulatory agencies. It is possible for clinicians to perform testing that historically was performed only in the central laboratory by trained laboratory technicians. Determination of all appropriate bedside testing for different clinical areas and patient groups will require further investigation and debate.