The Point of Care Laboratory in Clinical Microbiology
SUMMARY Point of care (POC) laboratories that deliver rapid diagnoses of infectious diseases were invented to balance the centralization of core laboratories. POC laboratories operate 24 h a day and 7 days a week to provide diagnoses within 2 h, largely based on immunochromatography and real time PCR tests. In our experience, these tests are conveniently combined into syndrome based kits that facilitate sampling, including self sampling and test operations, as POC laboratories can be operated by trained operators who are not necessarily biologists. POC laboratories are a way of easily providing clinical microbiology testing for populations distant from laboratories in developing and developed countries and on ships. Modern Internet connections enable support from core laboratories. The cost effectiveness of POC laboratories has been established for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections in both developed and developing countries.
Clinical Microbiology Reviews