Practically Practical Requests for the Next Generation of Point-of-Care Testing

Vendors have done a terrific job of implementing changes suggested by the point-of-care testing (POCT) community over the last ten years. More enhancements are always needed. The author suggests several improvements for future POCT devices. Plastic resiliency is the first suggestion. Degradation of equipment due to disinfectants is a major concern in health care environments. An improvement in power sources for POCT devices is the second request. Harnessing solar power or using newly developed wireless power would minimize some of the infrastructure challenges that hospitals face. Integrated testing systems that deliver needed treatments based on institution-based algorithms would improve the efficiency of nursing care. Preventing errors due to systems dependent on human intervention would ultimately lead to improved patient satisfaction-the holy grail of every medical institution.