TY - JOUR T1 - Near-patient testing in primary care JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 157 LP - 158 DO - 10.3399/bjgp10X483454 VL - 60 IS - 572 AU - Kamlesh Khunti Y1 - 2010/03/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/60/572/157.abstract N2 - In the current climate of streamlined health care with an emphasis on community-based care and one stop clinics, the concept of near-patient testing is appealing. Near-patient testing (also known as point-of-care testing) is defined as an investigation taken at the time of the consultation with instant availability of results to make immediate and informed decisions about patient care, and has gained much attention over the last 15 years.Near-patient testing offers a number of potential advantages in primary care, including earlier diagnosis, communication of diagnosis, and disease management, with potential for improved outcomes, improved patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. Other potential advantages include reducing health inequalities by being accessible to certain hard to reach socioeconomic or ethnic groups. Use of simple urine testing strips and blood glucose measurements are routine in primary care, although more sophisticated near-patient tests have been limited to anticoagulant monitoring, diabetes management, and testing for C-reactive protein and Helicobacter pylori.A … ER -