This 2019 update to the BSH guideline is as relevant today as it was when first published. There is an increased focus on provision of rapid tests to affect appropriate clinical pathways traditionally slowed down by laboratory turnaround times.
There are now a wide range of haematology related tests and devices on the market which can support rapid patient management decisions. The guideline offers an overview of some of these tests, including clinical utility and governance issues:
‘The aim of this guideline is to provide an overview of point of care (POC) assays available, and a framework for implementing and maintaining a POCT service compliant with international standards (ISO, 2012, 2016). This guideline does not specifically encompass POCT systems in a primary/community setting; however, the same principles may be applied. This guideline does not apply to general medical devices in a ‘near patient’ setting, such as blood pressure monitors, pulse oximetry and thermometers.’
‘Hospitals in the UK are experiencing increasing pressure to turn around patients safely and in a timely manner. Quality and efficiency of patient care depend directly on timely, accurate laboratory results. For clinicians and allied healthcare professionals, quality results with rapid turnaround times (TATs) are essential to determine prompt, effective management plans, administer immediate treatments in life-threatening conditions and meet waiting time targets in a safe and effective manner. POCT is a proven, powerful tool that can facilitate patient flow and turn around accurate results in a timely manner.’
There are a number of Full Blood Count/Complete Blood Count (FBC/CBC) solutions on the POCT market from vendors such as Horiba, SightDx and Katalyst Diagnostics. Other solutions exist for D-dimer, INR/PT, activated clotting time, thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM), haemoglobin and more recently prothrombin.
Visit the vendor pages of POCTInnovators.com to review many of these solutions.
The full BSH guideline can be found here:
Tony Cambridge is the Managing Director of Thornhill Healthcare Events and Consultancy, and former Lead Biomedical Scientist in the Pathology Management team of a busy acute care hospital in England. He frequently speaks at national and international healthcare events, and is a key opinion leader for point of care testing. He is also a member…
The company was set up in 2018 by Tony Cambridge MSc. BSc. Lead Biomedical Scientist, who is the managing director. With over 20 years experience in Blood Sciences and more recently Pathology management, Tony set out to provide affordable training opportunities to healthcare organisations through a number of different ways, from small group seminars to…