Requirement for point of care testing

Pathology test results are used by clinicians to make diagnostic, treatment and managementdecisions that affect patients’ health outcomes. Developments in technology mean that some pathology testing can now be performed at the time of the patient consultation or encounter with healthcare services – known as ‘point of care testing’, or PoCT. The benefits of PoCT include informed and immediate decision-making about patient care, improved patient compliance with diagnostic testing, and improved access to pathology services, particularly
in rural and remote centres. PoCT can be used in healthcare and community settings as well is pathology services and laboratories. Potential risks to patient safety associated with using PoCT need to be appropriately managed in all these settings.

Requirements for Point of Care Testing (Second Edition 2021) sets out the management framework for performing PoCT and provides guidance for any healthcare facility or laboratory-associated facility performing PoCT.Compliance with these Requirements ensures that patient and client safety is not compromised.

Requirements for Point of Care Testing (Second Edition 2021) has been updated with a riskbased approach and reflects current best practice for performing PoCT.

Included in this Standard is the set of requirements developed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to be used in the accreditation of POCT conducted in a general practice setting (Appendix C). It should be read in conjunction with the RACGP Standards for General Practices (5th Edition). These Standards contain the same key principles for PoCT as the overarching Standard but are referenced here because they have been contextualised to form a part of the suite of accreditation Standards for General
Practices.