title: [Current status of POCT and its future challenges].
abstract: Point of care testing (POCT) is a real-time examination with a portable analyzer and a rapid diagnostic kit in medical practice, and it includes all clinical tests carried out at the places other than laboratories in the hospital and outsourced clinical laboratory centers. Achieving "quickly at any place, any time", a basis for clinical laboratory testing, is expected for POCT and POCT has realized "a laboratory at any place, any time". Therefore, a wide range and a variety of places and methods to use it is expected. POCT, a realt-time examination in clinical practice, is indispensable for today's medical practice. Although POCT is an easy rapid test, data may be influenced unless its usage and maintenance methods are fully understood. Considering the situation that tests are done without the attendance of laboratory experts, construction of the management system of POCT by the laboratory and fostering POC coordinators responsible for its management and operation are important issues.
authors: Department of Laboratory Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare, Atami Hospital, Atami 413-0012, Japan. shime@iuhw.ac.jp
authors: Naoto
authors: N
authors: Shimetani
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks; D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011786:Quality Control