Point-of-Care Testing in the Overcrowded Emergency Department-Comparison of the Values of Four Essential-STAT- Blood Parameters with Core Laboratory Values

This prospective preliminary study conducted in the ED of a tertiary care hospital aimed at the comparison of the turnaround times (TAT) and accuracy of the values of four STAT blood parameters-WBC and Platelets counts, haemoglobin and CRP levels obtained by Point of care Testing with Core Laboratory values. Each of the parameter studied has its own importance and impact on the diagnosis, treatment and decision for disposal and the turnaround time of the overcrowded ED flow enabling accommodation and assuring of appropriate timely care for the awaiting ED patients. The TAT of POC Testing is very fast-around five minutes for all the four parameters per sample-compared to around ninety minutes for the same by core laboratory testing. The values obtained by POCT for all the four parameters are with comparable accuracy with that of core laboratory reports. Multi centric study covering larger sample sizes and lot more parameters may throw further light on the quality, accuracy, reliability and application of POCT in many domains of patient care.