title: Executive summary. The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory Medicine Practice Guideline: evidence-based practice for point-of-care testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Point-of-care testing (POCT) is clinical laboratory testing conducted close to the site of patient care. POCT has the potential to provide faster test results and therapeutic intervention with improved patient outcomes. However, when over-utilized or used inappropriately POCT results can be misleading and increase healthcare costs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry developed evidence-based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines for POCT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines systematically review the scientific literature relating POCT to clinical outcomes and offer recommendations to improve the clinical utility of POCT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These guidelines will be useful to clinicians considering the addition of POCT, to those that question current practices in POCT, and to clinicians seeking evidence-based support for POCT in clinical management. These guidelines represent the most comprehensive systematic review of the POCT literature to date and will help define future research that is needed to add to our current POCT knowledge base.
authors.affiliation: Baystate Health, Springfield, MA 01199, USA. james.nichols@bhs.org
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Christenson
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gronowski
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hammett-Stabler
authors.forename: Ellis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kazmierczak
authors.forename: Kent
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lewandrowski
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sacks
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sautter
authors.forename: Gregg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shipp
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sokoll
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: Marcia L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Zucker
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000592:standards*