In point-of-care diagnostics, samples are tested at the point of care to enable quick diagnosis and treatment

 

Testing samples at the point of care is known as Point-of-Care Diagnostics, and it enables quick diagnosis and treatment planning. Early disease detection is made possible by Point-of-Care Diagnostics, which also has a significant impact on how well a condition is treated medically. Point-of-care diagnostics utilize lateral flow, agglutination tests, biosensors, and solid phase technologies, all of which are cutting-edge and specialized for certain situations. For instance, lateral flow technology is employed in several applications, including pregnancy testing. The acceptance rate for these tests has increased because point-of-care tests only need a minimal quantity of samples and are conducted in real time.

Medical diagnostic testing at or close to the point of care, that is, at the time and location of patient care, is known as point-of-care testing (POCT or bedside testing).  Contrast this with the historical trend where testing was exclusively or primarily restricted to the medical laboratory, entailing sending off specimens away from the point of care and then waiting hours or days to learn the results, during which time care must continue without the desired information.

Point-of-Care Diagnostics tests are quick medical examinations that can be done right at the patient's bedside. In many instances, simplicity was not attainable until technology advanced, making tests both viable and later able to hide their complexity. For instance, many types of urine test strips have been around for decades, but portable ultrasonography did not develop to the point where it was sophisticated, accessible, and commonplace until the 2000s and 2010s. Although portable ultrasonography is frequently thought of as an "easy" test nowadays, it wasn't until more advanced technology became available.

Similar to rapid diagnostic tests like malaria antigen detection tests or COVID-19 rapid tests, which rely on a state-of-the-art in immunology that did not exist until recent decades, pulse oximetry can now test arterial oxygen saturation in a quick, simple, noninvasive, and affordable manner, whereas in earlier times this required an intra-arterial needle puncture and a laboratory test. As a result, over many years, testing continues to advance closer to the point of care than it previously had. According to a recent poll conducted in five nations (Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US), general practitioners and family physicians would prefer to use POCTs more frequently.