The use of point-of-care (POC) is widespread outside the central laboratory as it plays a crucial role in expediting the diagnosis and treatment of patients. This innovative approach significantly influences the speed and quality of care, leading to a transformation in the healthcare system's patient-centered approach.
POCs, or point-of-care devices, are available in two forms: as small bench-top analyzers or as handheld devices. These handheld devices are used by both patients for homecare purposes and by healthcare professionals. The advantage of POCs lies in their ability to provide quick results, reducing analysis time from hours to just a few seconds. This makes them particularly valuable in emergency situations.
When evaluating a POC for safety and reliability, several factors should be considered. These include sensitivity (the percentage of true positive results), specificity (the percentage of true negative results), and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively). These values should align with the disease prevalence in the population being considered.
The performance of a POC device is assessed by measuring its imprecision and accuracy. Imprecision is quantified by calculating the coefficient of variation (CV) within a given device's test result data. Accuracy, on the other hand, is estimated by determining the coefficient of correlation (r) between the data obtained from the POC device and a reference or standard instrument.
This review aims to provide an analysis of commercially available POCs, categorizing them based on their medical applications and examining key features such as result turnaround time, accuracy, and imprecision. While previous reviews have focused on specific medical applications and compared the performance of POCs to centralized laboratory instruments, this review seeks to offer a useful resource for healthcare professionals in choosing the most suitable POC for a specific disease. This is particularly relevant in today's modern era where efficiency and cost are significant considerations in public health.
