Testing is usually performed by the doctor or nurse attending to the patient as they can obtain a sample, perform the analysis, and record the test results. The testing site can include any intensive care unit, emergency department, or community health clinic.
Point-of-Care Testing (PoCT) includes any testing conducted outside the central clinical laboratory and is usually performed near the patient. Shephard, M, Spaeth, B, Mazzachi, B, Auld, M, Schatz, S, Loudon, J, Rigby, J & Daniel, V 2012, 'Design, implementation and initial assessment of the Northern Territory Point-of-Care Testing Program', Australian Journal of Rural Health, vol. Shephard, MDS, Spaeth, BA, Mazzachi, BC, Auld, M, Schatz, S, Lingwood, A, Loudon, J, Rigby, J & Daniel, V 2014, 'Toward Sustainable Point-of-Care Testing in Remote Australia: the Northern Territory i-STAT Point-of-Care Testing Program ', Point of Care: The Journal of Near-Patient Testing and Technology, vol.
Spaeth, BA, Shephard, MD, McCormack, B & Sinclair, G 2015, 'Evaluation of HemoCue White Blood Cell Differential Counter at a Remote Health Centre in Australia's Northern Territory.', Pathology, vol. Spaeth, BA & Shephard, MDS 2016, 'Clinical and operational benefits of international normalized ratio point-of-care testing in remote indigenous communities in Australia's Northern Territory', Point of Care, vol. Spaeth, BA, Shephard, MDS & Omond, R 2017, 'Clinical application of point-of-care testing in the remote primary health care setting', Quality in Primary Care, vol. Spaeth, BA, Kaambwa, BC, Shephard, MDS & Omond, R 2018, 'Economic evaluation of point-of-care testing in the remote primary health care setting of Australia's Northern Territory', ClinicoEconomic and Outcomes Research, vol. Spaeth, B, Shephard, M, Kockcinar, R, Duckworth, L & Omond, R 2019, 'Impact of point-of-care testing for white blood cell count on triage of patients with infection in the remote Northern Territory of Australia', Pathology, vol. in K Atkinson & D Mabey (eds), Revolutionizing Tropical Medicine: Point-of-Care Tests, New Imaging Technologies and Digital Health. Shephard, M, Motta, L, Spaeth, B, Halls, H & Duckworth, L 2019, Point-of-care testing for blood counts, HbA1c, renal function, electrolytes, acid-base balance and hepatitis. Matthews, SJ, Spaeth, B, Duckworth, L, Richards, JN, Prisk, E, Auld, M, Quirk, T, Omond, R & Shephard, MDS 2020, 'Sustained quality and service delivery in an expanding point-of-testing network in remote Australian Primary Health Care', Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, vol. We have published quite a few papers about our work in the NT POCT Program. We are funded by the Northern Territory Government - NT Health. The WBC DIFF device generates a total white cell count and a 5-part differential white blood cell count in under 5 minutes.īased on our research the WBC DIFF POCT program is expected to have significant benefits for Top End communities, including rapid identification and timely treatment of patients with infection/sepsis, more effective triage of patients who require evacuation (by making informed clinical decisions on-site as a result of access to POC testing), and cost savings due to prevented medical evacuations. In 2020, this study led to the introduction of HemoCue (R) WBC DIFF devices to 20 remote clinics in the Northern Territory's Top End region.
In response to this, NT Health and the Flinders University International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing examined the analytical, clinical and cost effectiveness of a point-of-care testing device for total white cell counts and their subtypes. Our 2017 study found that more than 25% of tests ordered by remote communities were reported by their nearest laboratory as 'unreliable', 'unsuitable' and 'not reported' due to these issues. These challenges include long specimen transport times and issues related to specimen integrity during transport. White cell counts are an important diagnostic tool for detecting acute and general infections, but obtaining reliable test results in a timely manner from pathology laboratories presents significant challenges for remote communities.
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