PRODUCTS & SERVICES


When convenience collides with demand


Can point-of-care testing learn from COVID-19? by Rick Dana Barlow


C


linical data culled from the labo- ratory based on the results of testing undergirds, underlines


and underpins the vast majority of deci- sions made by physicians and nurses involving their patients.


The more thorough the results and the quicker the response time, then the earlier the clinician can help the patient heal. This can mean the more satisfied the patient becomes, which then is tied to reimbursement. Think of it as a daisy chain healthcare effectiveness, efficiency and process performance. Accuracy, comprehensiveness, con- venience (which includes ease-of-use/ user-friendliness) and speed represent the quartet of quality among point- of-care testing (POCT) development, growth and overall success. Of course, cost always remains a factor that includes consumption and waste. Whether the patient comes to the test or the test comes to the patient at the point of care (be that a clinic, hospital room, physician office or testing site), the clinician and patient alike both seek a painless (as much as possible) and rapid application, coupled with


a speedy and thorough response with accurate results.


Much of the general public – globally – has witnessed POCT in action via ongoing media reports of COVID-19 testing. Even though COVID-19 represents but one distinct area in the much-larger POCT pantheon, how might current events drive development in POCT products and services in other areas? What can healthcare learn – if anything – from the COVID-19 testing that can be applied to POCT segment-wide to improve the col- lecting, maintaining, storing and tracking of data as well as enabling optimal analy- sis of results?


Dual-sided views


POCT products and services provide a wealth of value to both the clinicians who administer them and the patients who undergo them, according to Jamie hillips h.D. Senior Scientific ffairs anager edical and Scientific ffairs Roche Diagnostics Corp. “enefits and features can be markedly different when referring to point-of-care testing,” Phillips told Healthcare Purchas- ing News. “The unique value of a point-


46 September 2020 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


of-care test is its ability to provide a critical result faster, near the patient, allowing healthcare pro- viders to determine the best course of action or treatment quickly. This provides obvious benefits across a variety of settings, from the emer- gency room to a community pharmacy and even at-home care or self-testing.” Phillips references numerous peer- reviewed studies that have shown that testing for respiratory infections at the point of care can:  Shorten a patients length of stay in a hospital setting


Jamie Phillips


 nable appropriate and timely treatment  educe unnecessary testing  elp healthcare providers implement appropriate patient isolation when needed “Additionally, many point-of-care tests


are classified as CL-waived” she con- tinued. “Tests that are considered CL- waived use direct, unprocessed specimens, and are easy to perform with negligible chance of error. Thus, they can be per- formed by individuals without formal


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