Assessment of User Perspectives of Cardiac Point of Care Technologies in Chest Pain Diagnosis

The assessment of the value of point of care technologies for cardiac marker testing in patients presenting with chest pain was carried out using an on-line survey tool to garner the views and opinions of healthcare professionals on point of care testing (POCT). The preliminary results of the survey are presented here. A total of 38 responses were received, from health care professionals within Northern Ireland Health Trusts. A number of concerns were raised relating to the implementation of a POCT service. These included clinical governance, quality assurance, accreditation and regulation, which should be addressed by the central laboratory. The main POCT user groups were clinical, nursing and laboratory staff, with nursing staff being the most frequent users. The general opinion amongst healthcare professionals was that POCT implementation and accreditation should be overseen and regulated by the central laboratory. Troponin I was the most important cardiac marker measured by POCT devices. POCT turnaround times were perceived by survey respondents as shorter between 15-30 minutes compared to laboratory testing, 60-90 minutes. The perception of POCT data quality was considered by the majority of respondents to be of equivalent quality and accuracy to central laboratory cardiac marker testing Laboratory and biomedical scientists indicated that the implementation of a POCT service would alter their relationships to clinical, nursing staff and patients. The survey suggested that POCT may create new roles for biomedical scientists outside the pathology laboratory involving supporting nursing staff at ward level and validation of patient test results.