TY - JOUR T1 - Point-of-care testing in general practice: just what the doctor ordered? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 362 LP - 363 DO - 10.3399/bjgp18X698033 VL - 68 IS - 673 AU - Angel MR Schols AU - Geert-Jan Dinant AU - Jochen WL Cals Y1 - 2018/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/68/673/362.abstract N2 - In this time where fast, efficient, and personalised care has become increasingly important, it is not surprising that point-of-care tests (POCTs) are becoming ever more popular. A wide range and growing number of POCTs are now available to GPs. The term POCT is frequently used and many different descriptions of a POCT exist, which sometimes leads to misconceptions and confusion. With a multidisciplinary international panel of POCT experts consisting of family practitioners, laboratory specialists, policymakers, researchers, and manufacturers, we recently performed a modified e-Delphi procedure to reach consensus on a widely supported and recognised international definition of a POCT in family practice: a point-of-care test in family practice is a test to support clinical decision making, which is performed by a qualified member of the practice staff nearby the patient and on any part of the patient’s body or its derivatives, during or very close to the time of consultation, to help the patient and physician to decide upon the best-suited approach, and of which the results should be known at the time of the clinical decision making.1POCTs have many potential benefits, for example, saving patients’ and physicians’ time, optimising management, reducing referrals to secondary care and healthcare costs, improving patient satisfaction, and better adherence to treatment. An international survey among 2770 GPs in the UK, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the US has shown that GPs would like to use more laboratory POCTs. They specifically want POCTs to help them diagnose acute conditions, such as infections (C-reactive protein [CRP], chlamydia, gonorrhoea), acute cardiac disease (troponin, B-type natriuretic peptide), pulmonary embolism and deep-vein thrombosis (D-dimer), and some chronic conditions (for example, HbA1c, haemoglobin).2,3 However, GPs also … ER -