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In healthcare, waiting has consequences. Needing to make several appointments, long periods of anxiety with an unknown diagnosis, and delays in receiving treatment directly impact patient experience and well-being.
Point of Care (POC) testing can shorten the path from a clinical question to an appropriate action by bringing selected diagnostic tests closer to the patient. Its value does not come from speed alone, but from the ways in which POC testing is connected to the wider diagnostic network and linked to a clear next step in the care pathway.
This ebook explores how healthcare leaders can use decentralized diagnostics to extend access and resolve uncertainty sooner, completing more care in a single encounter and protecting specialist capacity for the patients who need it most.
Questions we aim to answer:
- Where can earlier diagnostic answers prevent avoidable delays and return visits?
- How can POC testing complement the central laboratory without fragmenting quality or governance?
- Which clinical pathways benefit most when results are available during the care encounter?
- How can decentralized diagnostics extend access in primary care, pharmacies, and underserved communities?
- What is required to turn a fast test into a reliable, scalable service?
- Which outcomes demonstrate value beyond test volume and turnaround time?
In addition, this ebook focuses on four clinical decisions where proximity can make a meaningful difference:
Using NT-proBNP to support earlier heart-failure rule-out and more purposeful referral
Bringing quantitative D-dimer into an evidence-based VTE rule-out pathway
Differentiating selected respiratory viruses while treatment and follow-up decisions can still be discussed
Using C-reactive protein (CRP) as an adjunct to clinical assessment and antimicrobial-stewardship conversations
Explore the foundations required for successful implementation, including clinical purpose, assay selection, laboratory oversight, operator competency, connectivity, workflow design, and quality management.
