Description:
Introduction of POCT:
In order to improve patient access and patient throughput, a management review of the requirements for a rural (outreach) diabetes treatment clinic has established the need to provide POCT for glucose and HbA1c. You have been asked to supervise the introduction of appropriate POCT devices for these two tests.
Provide recommendations and justification for your choice of glucose and HbA1c devices. Summarise your recommendations on how this may be achieved and the on-going operational procedures required in order to provide quality results for patient testing. Include in your answer recommendations with regard to:
• Critical evaluation of testing devices which provide results appropriate to clinical requirements (i.e. is the chosen device fit for purpose?)
• Pre-analytical considerations
o Instructions for patient preparation and sample collection
o Patient safety and risk management
o Operator training and on-going competency assessment
• Analytical considerations
o Frequency and type of quality control (QC)
o Recording of QC, action limits and procedures to be followed with QC failure
o External quality assessment (EQA) procedures
o Device maintenance and performance records
• Post-analytical
o Instructions for the recording / reporting of results
• Post implementation follow-up and confirmation of performance requirements