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Guides written for the people who run the bench.
Short, factual and standards-based. Each one is something a POCT coordinator or quality manager could take into a meeting, with the clause numbers and protocols named.
POCT middleware buyer's guide: twelve capabilities that matter
A POCT middleware buyer's guide: how to run a selection, the twelve capabilities to test, questions for each vendor, red flags and a scoring table.
Read the guide →POCT middleware vs LIS: what each does and which you need
POCT middleware vs LIS explained: what each system does, where they overlap, three common architectures and a decision table by care setting.
Read the guide →POCT software RFP template: requirements you can copy
A POCT software RFP template: numbered requirement tables for connectivity, QC, security, integration and support, plus scoring and common mistakes.
Read the guide →POCT transcription errors: causes, cost and how to remove them
POCT transcription errors occur whenever a result is re-keyed by hand. The error types, why they are under-reported, what they cost and how to end them.
Read the guide →Community diagnostic centre POCT: what good looks like
Community diagnostic centre POCT: governance under ISO 15189 Annex A and MHRA guidance, results into the LIMS, QC evidence and a readiness checklist.
Read the guide →Virtual wards point of care testing: what works in the home
Virtual wards point of care testing: which tests are used at home, what breaks outside a clinic, governance, and how a phone-as-gateway approach works.
Read the guide →HbA1c point of care testing in community diabetes clinics
How HbA1c point of care testing runs in a community diabetes clinic: patient identity, operator readiness, valid results, exceptions, coordinator review.
Read the guide →Point of care testing in general practice: workflow and governance
Point of care testing in general practice: CRP, HbA1c and INR, the workflow into EMIS Web or SystmOne, common failures and MHRA governance in plain terms.
Read the guide →Pharmacy point of care testing UK: governance and results flow
Pharmacy point of care testing UK: Pharmacy First, blood pressure checks, which tests are realistic, the governance gap and how results reach the GP.
Read the guide →POCT governance framework for multi-site services: a practical guide
A POCT governance framework for services that span many sites: committee, roles, policy set, MHRA guidance, ISO 15189:2022 Annex A and assessor evidence.
Read the guide →POCT operator competency: a programme that stands up to assessment
How to build a POCT operator competency programme that meets ISO 15189:2022 and MHRA guidance: training, observation, QC, EQA, reassessment and lockout.
Read the guide →POCT EQA management: running external quality assessment across sites
POCT EQA management: what external quality assessment is, why ISO 15189:2022 and UKAS require it, UK providers, the cycle and closing poor returns.
Read the guide →POCT KPIs worth tracking: measures of quality, not just activity
POCT KPIs for connectivity, quality, people, devices, safety and cost: definition, calculation and direction of travel for each, for the committee pack.
Read the guide →What is point of care testing? A plain guide for clinics and wards
What is point of care testing? A plain definition, where it happens, the main test types, how it differs from the laboratory and which quality rules apply.
Read the guide →CAP point-of-care checklist: an operations guide to readiness
What the CAP point-of-care checklist covers, the themes inspectors examine, a 90-day preparation plan and the evidence pack to keep by theme, with owners.
Read the guide →Managing CLIA-waived testing across multiple locations
What a Certificate of Waiver covers, what changes with CLIA-waived testing across multiple locations, and how to standardize competency, QC and lots.
Read the guide →How to verify a new POCT analyser
A practical, standards-based sequence for verifying a new point-of-care analyser before patient use: precision (CLSI EP15, EP05), method comparison (EP09), linearity (EP06), detection limits (EP17), reference-interval transference (EP28), acceptance criteria, documentation and sign-off under ISO 15189:2022.
Read the guide →Westgard rules explained for POCT teams
What each Westgard rule detects, which kind of error it points to, how rules combine into a multirule, how sigma decides which rules you need, and what to do on the ward when one fires. Written for point-of-care coordinators and quality managers.
Read the guide →ISO 15189:2022 for POCT: what changed
ISO 15189:2022 withdrew ISO 22870 and brought point-of-care testing inside the laboratory standard through a normative Annex A. What moved, what is new (risk-based thinking, ensuring validity of results, competence), and the records POCT services are now asked to show.
Read the guide →Deeper reading
The reference guides on the resources hub.
The buyer's guide
Eight questions to ask any POCT connectivity supplier.
Nine pages, vendor-neutral, with the arithmetic labelled as illustrative wherever it appears.
Get the POCT connectivity buyer's guide
Nine pages, vendor-neutral: what connectivity is, the standards in plain English, the cost of doing it by hand and eight questions to ask any supplier. The PDF also opens directly from the downloads page; leave an email only if you want it in your inbox.
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