The Status of Point-of-Care Testing and Coordinators in Vietnam: Needs Assessment, Technologies, Education, Exchange, and Future Mission

Conclusions Clinicians were poorly informed about the availability of urgent, emergency department, and bedside POC tests. No provincial hospitals surveyed offered cardiac biomarker testing, despite the high prevalence of acute coronary syndromes. Challenges to the implementation of POCT comprise: (a) the quality assurance burden for non laboratory personnel; (b) limited human resources to support POCT programs, including virtually total absence of POC coordinators; and (c) no national POCT policy and guidelines. To rectify these deficiencies, we recommend fundamental education at all levels, promotion of POC coordinator user groups, heightened awareness of available POCT, and vigorous international exchanges to enhanced standards of care in Vietnam.
Source: Point of Care: The Journal of Near-Patient Testing and Technology - Category: Pathology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research