What is Point-of-Care Testing?

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is defined as:

'pathology testing which is performed on behalf of the treating medical practitioner by a trained operator in an on-site clinical setting at the time of patient consultation, allowing the test result of desired analytical quality to be generated and to be used to make an immediate informed decision that contributes to an improved health outcome for the patient.'  © Mark Shephard, 2007