Abstract

QUALITY CONTROL ASPECT OF POCT

*Dr. Jayesh P. Warade

Abstract

Number of Point of care tests (POCT ) have evolved in the recent years. The field of POCT is rapidly developing and the market share is constantly increaseing. POCT devices are beneficial in providing bed side testing and rapid reporting of the tests that helps in managing patients in emergency situation. However theses POCT instrument are only reliable if the results provided are reliable and accurate. Quality controls (QC) exists to ensure accuracy and reliability. For many of the healthcare workers using POCT instruments, QC will be unfamiliar territory, as these staffs are not trained in testing the QC material as well as the analysis of the QC results. Many of the standard QC procedures applied in laboratories cannot be applied to POCT devices. Although there are many benefits of using POCT devices in terms of their convenience, these benefits are only true if the results produced are both accurate and reliable. Ensuring accuracy and reliability is the primary responsibility of Quality Control.

Keywords: Training, External Quality Assurance, Electronic QC, Instruments, Split Sampling.