Medical and economic outcomes of point-of-care testing.

Point-of-care testing is concerned with the immediacy of response, primarily because of the need to act in a life-threatening crisis or to provide counsel in the ongoing management of a chronic disease. There are both clinical, operational and economic benefits that can accrue from this testing modality which may be observed from several perspectives--the patient, the clinician, the healthcare provider, the healthcare purchaser and society. Thus point-of-care testing can improve the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, compromised coagulation status and epilepsy--both in terms of optimisation of, and compliance with, therapy. There are also life-threatening crises that can be averted by rapid provision of test results. Each of these scenarios can lead to more efficient use of healthcare resources.