Today, Point-Of-Care Diagnostics (POCD) is frequently used in critical and near-patient care settings. This includes operating rooms (OR), intensive care units (ICU), cardiac catheterization labs (CCL), emergency departments (ED), and numerous primary care clinic settings for blood gas and electrolyte testing. Point-Of-Care Diagnostics offers a number of distinct advantages, including reducing or eliminating specimen preparation and transportation, which also has the added advantages of reducing preanalytical effects and accelerating turnaround times (TAT). Some systems provide a flexible test menu by offering a selection of test cartridges. Improved patient outcomes, operational efficiencies, and patient satisfaction may arise from faster test findings that may enable more timely medical decisions.
