Outcomes Assessment for Point-of-Care Testing

“Outcomes Assessment ” has become one of the enduring buzzwords of the decade. But it often seems to be like the weather: Everyone talks about it, but relatively few do anything about it. As clinical laboratory scientists, we have repeatedly challenged ourselves to demonstrate that laboratory results affect patient outcome. Yet very few well-done studies have been published. (How many times have you heard and read the results of those few studies by now?) One difficulty is the universal use of laboratory testing. Would it be acceptable to deny laboratory testing to a control group? The field of point-of-care testing (POCT) offers a major opportunity, because there are many tests not yet in widespread use. This allows ethical compari-sons to be designed. (Imagine presenting to the Huma