title: Point-of-care testing. An overview and a look to the future.
abstract: Point-of-care testing is an emerging specialty in laboratory medicine and has attracted considerable interest in the medical literature. This article presents a general overview of point-of-care testing including its history, menu, clinical utility, aspects of analytical performance, regulatory issues, and management in the hospital setting. Some perspectives concerning the possible future of point-of-care testing are also presented in view of current issues in the hospital and clinical laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee-Lewandrowski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lewandrowski
mesh_terms: D005544:Forecasting; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000639:trends*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000639:trends*; D013038:Specialization / Q000639:trends