RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Current and future use of point-of-care tests in primary care: an international survey in Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands, the UK and the USA
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e005611
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005611
VO 4
IS 8
A1 Howick, Jeremy
A1 Cals, Jochen W L
A1 Jones, Caroline
A1 Price, Christopher P
A1 Plüddemann, Annette
A1 Heneghan, Carl
A1 Berger, Marjolein Y
A1 Buntinx, Frank
A1 Hickner, John
A1 Pace, Wilson
A1 Badrick, Tony
A1 Van den Bruel, Ann
A1 Laurence, Caroline
A1 van Weert, Henk C
A1 van Severen, Evie
A1 Parrella, Adriana
A1 Thompson, Matthew
YR 2014
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/8/e005611.abstract
AB Objective Despite the growing number of point-of-care (POC) tests available, little research has assessed primary care clinician need for such tests. We therefore aimed to determine which POC tests they actually use or would like to use (if not currently available in their practice). Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Primary care in Australia, Belgium (Flanders region only), the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. Participants Primary care doctors (general practitioners, family physicians). Main measures We asked respondents to (1) identify conditions for which a POC test could help inform diagnosis, (2) from a list of tests provided: evaluate which POC tests they currently use (and how frequently) and (3) determine which tests (from that same list) they would like to use in the future (and how frequently). Results 2770 primary care clinicians across five countries responded. Respondents in all countries wanted POC tests to help them diagnose acute conditions (infections, acute cardiac disease, pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis), and some chronic conditions (diabetes, anaemia). Based on the list of POC tests provided, the most common tests currently used were: urine pregnancy, urine leucocytes or nitrite and blood glucose. The most commonly reported tests respondents expressed a wish to use in the future were: D-dimer, troponin and chlamydia. The UK and the USA reported a higher actual and desired use for POC tests than Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands. Our limited data suggest (but do not confirm) representativeness. Conclusions Primary care clinicians in all five countries expressed a desire for POC tests to help them diagnose a range of acute and chronic conditions. Rates of current reported use and desired future use were generally high for a small selection of POC tests, but varied across countries. Future research is warranted to explore how specific POC tests might improve primary care.