PRODUCTS & SERVICES


laboratory training. This facilitates their use outside of the central laboratory setting, offering healthcare institutions greater e- ibility and streamlined workows.” Clinicians and healthcare organizations favor POCT’s convenience. “For clinicians and healthcare institu-


tions the greatest benefit of point-of-care testing is that it enables them to access patient test results faster and more con- veniently” hillips noted. “This helps them identify the best course of action or treatment uickly often while the patient is still in their care. mproving their ability to prescribe the appropriate medication contributes to greater antibiotic steward- ship as well.” They also favor another “C” accord-


ing to oseph ickers roduct anager embrane  edia all edical. “From our interactions, the factor which is always highlighted as the most important is test consis- tency” ickers said. “This is influenced by many aspects of the overall ual- ity of the test materials, including sample capture substrates reac- tion pads and visual indicators. The clini- cian must not eperience any ambiguity or subjectivity in the test results. They must get the right result every time.” or patients OCT affects their eperi- ence, which then motivates satisfaction survey results used to determine reim- bursement.


Joseph Vickers


“oint-of-care testing can improve the patient eperience significantly” hillips observed. “The patient can often find out the results of a test during the same phy- sician visit rather than returning home or waiting in a hospital bed and worry- ing about what the results might be. As a result the process can be much more convenient for the patient and can provide greater peace of mind.” Unfortunately, not all POC tests gener- ate fast readouts or results, regardless of proimity to patient or facility location. “any of the point-of-care tests from


oche provide results in about  min- utes or less, which would be considered rapid” hillips noted. “Some point- of-care tests may use a chemistry that requires a longer reaction and analysis time. However, there is still an advan- tage to having the testing close to the patient because it helps to mitigate the workflow, safety and time challenges that can occur when sending a patient sample to a central lab location. nother


significant advantage to point-of-care testing unrelated to test turnaround time is that it provides access to testing for remote populations that cannot easily come to a central healthcare facility or testing location.” or all patients prefer a fundamental requirement. “Top of the list for the patient is accu- racy” ickers insisted. “ndergoing medical diagnostics is often a stressful process and the results of a OCT must be accurate. The impact of false positives or negatives on a patients treatment process and overall health and well-being can be catastrophic. alse results must be avoided at all costs.”


Connectivity concerns One way to improve point-of-care testing prospects involves electronic accessibility according to hillips. “any point-of-care tests are not con- nected electronically, or through a cloud- based data management hub so providers are required to enter testing results manu- ally into the patients  or electronic medical record” she indicated. “There is a significant opportunity here to use connec- tivity to eliminate many manual reporting elements. Having seamless connectivity between point-of-care testing and the  system would create greater efficiencies and improve documentation of testing with less risk of error or omission during transcription.” Of course data privacy and cybersecu- rity issues loom large as a challenge. “Certainly data privacy and security are important considerations in any connec- tivity solution” hillips acknowledged. “But device manufacturers and healthcare institutions can partner with cloud-based data security providers to address those concerns effectively.” n fact theres a high probability that


OCT becomes standard operating proce- dure during the net decade accelerated perhaps by current pandemic events. “Seamlessly connected OC testing is very likely to be the norm rather than the eception a decade from now” hillips forecast. ase of use and overall utility top alls


list of desired improvements ickers indicates.


“One of the main advantages of POCT is


the ability for the test to be performed by a minimally trained individual, often in an adverse environment” he said. “ large positive impact to OCT could be made by improving the tests ease of use  both


48 September 2020 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS • hpnonline.com


during operation of the test in terms of its robustness and simplicity to use and combining that with the effortless inter- pretation of results.”


Digital upside hillips predicts a bright future for OCT products and services by  taking cues from convenience concepts and eperience ideals in other industries. “The healthcare landscape is evolving


rapidly today and one of the primary driv- ers of the evolution is digital technology” she observed. “Healthcare is starting to catch up to industries like transportation and retail shopping where innovators like Uber and Amazon have transformed the business models and the consumer eperience. The introduction of wearable technology and mobile apps is already changing the way consumers engage in their own healthcare. “ decade from now  or sooner  one could envision how secure wireless connectivity and personal healthcare apps could further change the way vital health information is accessed and shared between patient mobile devices databases such as electronic medical records and point-of-care testing devices including those used at home for patient self-testing” she continued. “hile there are hurdles to overcome, this enhanced, real-time connectivity could provide a more efficient seamless and convenient eperience for both patients and provid- ers helping to improve patient care while reducing costs.” ickers foresees epansion and comple-


ity defining OCT products and services during the net decade. “As we move to a more cloud-based and connected society there will be big changes in OCT over the net  years and we have to think about integration of testing and apps” he noted. “s OCT develops and we see more multiple and ualitative testing app integration could provide many advantages such as the ability to have qualifying questions about symptoms and recent eperiences prior to taking the test.” urther this might enable the caregivers to provide more ualitative interpretations and feedback with more contet to the patient he added. ickers also contemplates a migration to “more advanced whole, cell-based diagnostic markers, moving away from the protein- or hormone-based markers often used today and enabling the provi- sion of more sophisticated insight into the disease state.” HPN


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