Point-of-care testing (POCT) is the performance of diagnostic tests directly where the test result is needed. This can be
- on the patient’s ward,
- in the practice of a registered physician
- or in a pharmacy.
In other words, laboratory diagnostics are performed close to the patient rather than in a central laboratory. Some examples of this are pregnancy tests or blood glucose measurements by diabetics.
Particularly exciting for the field of microfluidics is the Point-of-care testing for pathogens such as MRSA or COVID-19. Here, there are various possibilities to perform these tests quickly and thoroughly – without having to send samples to central laboratories.