CRP in point-of-care testing |
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Economic savings
From the point of view of physicians and healthcare planners, an increased use of point-of-care testing in general practice is desirable for monitoring patients who are today often discharged sooner than previously from hospitals and those who are moved from hospital outpatient clinics to general practice.
Reduced use of antibiotics
With the increasing occurrence of bacteria resistant to antimicrobial treatment, it has become even more important to measure CRP in all cases of suspected bacterial infection. Overuse of antibiotics can be reduced by using CRP tests to rule out viral infections where antibiotics are of no benefit.
Therapeutic turn-around time (TAT)
The therapeutic turn-around time (TAT) should be very short, with the CRP assay being quick to
perform, the test results being obtained quickly and the therapeutic decision being made during
the patient's first visit.
Definition of point-of-care testing
Point-of-care testing denotes any analytical procedure performed for, or by, a patient outside the
traditional clinical laboratory near the patient.
Various acronyms and terms are used when referring to point-of-care testing:
- point-of-care (POC) or point-of-care testing (POCT)
- near-patient testing (NPT)
- decentralised testing
Requirements for CRP assays in point-of-care testing:
- easy and reliable performance of the test
- quantitative results
- use of whole blood
- test result available in minutes
- minimal maintenance of the instrument
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