Survey of the use of Point of Care Testing Devices in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Laboratory testing plays a critical role in healthcare delivery with test results used for disease screening, diagnosis, treatment progress and prognosis. Some tests are performed outside the laboratory by non-laboratory trained individuals using Point of Care Testing (POCT) devices. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, factors that may affect results generated, quality control practices and the importance of POCT regulation on the overall testing process. This is a prospective study which 70 POCT devices operators / users gave their consent at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. Pretested questionnaires were used as the tool for evaluation. The respondents were 70 in number including medical doctors (51.4%) and Nurses (45.7%). The most commonly used POCT devices included glucose meters (91.4%), urine testing strips (65.7%) and haemoglobin meters (25.7%). Other devices in use were bilirubin meters (5.7%) and cholesterol meters (1.4%). About half (56%) of respondents understood the test reaction principles of their devices. Accident and Emergency department had the highest use (37.1%). Quality control practices were undertaken by 24.3% of respondents. Majority (65%) of operators used their devices for monitoring the progression of illness. Opinion on the regulation of use of POCT was supported by most respondents. Periodically validating and calibrating POCT devices within the hospital by the central laboratory will go a long way to ensure uniform testing and improve result quality.