Proposed Guidelines for Point-of-Care Testing in Spain

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is defined as a clinical laboratory testing conducted close to the site of patient care. In addition to increased pressure for faster results, advanced technology offers diagnostic medical devices that make it possible to carry out some analysis close to the patient. In 2004, the Spanish Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology detected an increasing number of laboratory professionals interested in POCT. This fact and the lack of guidelines for POCT in Spain encouraged the society's board of directors to create a workgroup comprising laboratory professionals and personnel of POCT diagnostic manufacturers to create the first Spanish guidelines for POCT. Based on scientific literature and professional experience, these guidelines were composed and published in 2006. The first part of the guide is a review of the definitions and classification of analytical systems emphasizing circumstances that validate POCT. The core of the document is a regulatory proposal for the implementation of these tests including aspects related to personnel responsibilities, multidisciplinary committees, quality assurance, training programs, data management, and future tendencies. The document concludes with 11 recommendations resuming the most important topics. These guidelines will be useful for implementing new points of care testing and reviewing the basis of current POCT practices. They can also establish the basics for different patient populations in a variety of clinical settings and assist administration, certification, or accreditation bodies. Primarily, the document strives to contribute to the improvement of patient care.