POINT-OF-CARE TESTING
Point-of-care Innovators: the power to disrupt – an event review
The latest in the series of POCT Innovators events took place this spring in Leeds with a typically diverse and engaging panel of speakers. Pathology in Practice reports from the event.
Cloth Hall Court in Leeds, a grand building with a suitably updated modern interior offering all major comforts was the venue for the first 2024 POCT Innovators seminar. The city-centre venue hosted 140 or so participants for the day-long event, which was eagerly anticipated after two successful events in 2023 taking place in Nottingham and London. Hosted by Thornhill Healthcare Events, the day welcomed 29 exhibitors from the trade eager to meet the delegates who had gathered for the eight varied presentations on offer. The lecture room provided a bright and airy space for the days’ learning opportunities, with networking refreshments and exhibitors to be visited on the building’s lower floors.
Morning session The first of three sessions was opened by the Chairperson and organiser, Tony Cambridge. A quick introduction and thanks to the attendees, speakers and exhibitors was followed by the first speaker of the day, Dr Fiona Riddoch who talked around the clinical and operational pitfalls of D-dimer measurements, likening it to a dark art. Discussing clinical assessment prior to testing, Dr Riddoch discussed the use of Wells Score, predisposing factors, as well as possible issues in interpretation. She highlighted that D-dimer can be measured in one of two ways, which of course also means that there are two ways of calibrating
point-of-care devices. With D-dimer also increasing with age, the concept of an age-adjusted cutoff was discussed and the ways of calculating this to ensure accuracy and reduce false-positive results. A comparison was also offered between old and new laboratory tests for D-dimer, and how these relate to POC tests. The issue of discrepancies between these tests was mentioned by Dr Riddoch, with advice offered on how to proceed when this does occur, based on detailed comparisons which have been examined in her laboratory. A case study was also
highlighted, showing how problematic repeated D-dimer tests with differing results can be to interpret for the patient’s best interests.
Next up was Head of Examinations at the IBMS, Chris Ward. There is currently a great deal of uncertainty around educational requirements for point-of- care roles due to the lack of recognised qualifications. Chris quickly ran through the history and development of IBMS qualifications, focussing on the IBMS Certificate of Expert Practice (CEP) which has been available for point-of-care testing for some time, with this option increasing in popularity over recent years. He ran through the modules for the POCT CEP before going on to talk about the tasks and assessments also involved. The different Specialist Diplomas that the IBMS offers were also discussed, with Chris describing the ongoing work being undertaken to develop these across more clinical specialties. POCT is a rapidly
Cloth Hall Court in Leeds provided a venue with a grand exterior but a light, airy and modern interior.
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