Point-of-Care Testing for Urine Analysis and Microalbuminuria for Diabetic Patient Management

The objective was to implement point-of-care testing in the community pharmacy setting for the urine analysis of microalbuminuria and study the accuracy, practicality, and feasibility of the service. Three community pharmacies in Malta were used to randomly recruit 25 type 1 or 2 diabetic adult patients who provided a urine sample, which was analyzed using the Clinitek Status analyzer to yield results for the presence of microalbuminuria and glucose levels. Patients underwent a finger prick test, and patients who tested positive for microalbuminuria in the urine test underwent HbA1c testing using the DCA 2000+ analyzer. Of the 25 patients tested (13 male, 12 female; mean age, 62.2 years), 6 had microalbuminuria. Four patients had HbA1c levels in the abnormal range. Body mass index (P = 0.014) and hypertension (P = 0.026) positively correlated to the presence of microalbuminuria. Twenty-two patients would use the service with the average fee cited being between €4 and €6 for the strip test. The cost to conduct the test solely on a per strip basis is €1.60, which complies with the range patients are willing to pay for the test. The cost to purchase the Clinitek Status analyzer is difficult to regain, and this could only be done by conducting frequent tests. The fee that patients are willing to pay for the strip test can compensate for the cost of consumables and testing time.
Source: Point of Care: The Journal of Near-Patient Testing and Technology - Category: Pathology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research