Introduction to the Present & Future of Clinical Diagnostics

The rapid evolution of Point-of-Care-Testing has encouraged more POCT ODM companies to work on creating new techniques.

May 14,2021 | Angelia

POCT (Point-of-care testing) has seen rapid developments over the past few years in terms of analytical as well as clinical applications. Performing medical lab tests by the patient’s bedside has is slowly becoming the norm in major economies with state-of-the-art healthcare facilities. This has encouraged newer players to dabble into newer techniques and technologies to improve POCT diagnostics.

The Current State Of POCT

Currently, doctors can use POCT to perform simple tasks such as measuring blood glucose and also more complicated coagulation assays. POCT ODM companies believe that the fast-paced, on-location nature of the tests helps doctors take decisions quickly without sending samples to labs and waiting for the results.

POCT eliminates the need for preparation and transportation of clinical samples. It provides results rapidly at the point of care and may also reduce overall costs. This is why more and more healthcare giants these days are looking to tie up with POCT ODM companies.

How Does The Future Look?

Recent technological advancements have enabled POCT ODMs to come up with new instruments for POCT diagnostics. The industry is evolving quickly, and new techniques are emerging to provide a wider range of solutions to healthcare professionals.

However, a lot of these novel instruments are still under testing and not in practical use. Therefore, it would be very difficult to identify any major advantages of the new POCT instruments over traditional lab testing.

But POCT ODMs predict that the utilization of POCT will increase in the future, as suggested by health-care trends. Nonetheless, POCT is still very useful even today for near-patient testing in certain applications.

As of now, POCT brings in an annual turnover of about €3bn in Europe (in vitro diagnostics). A major part of this comes from Germany, as the country contributes around €0.9bn to the total turnover. POCT ODMs say that most of the business comes from home testing devices for diabetes, test strips for blood sugar monitoring, etc.

The POCT industry has seen more than 10% growth in the last few years, although the rapid decline in the pace has been noticed recently. But in the long term, the market is expected to shoot up as more healthcare companies start dabbling into near-patient testing.

History Of Clinical Diagnostics

The laboratory system still stands competent and affordable for hospitals and clinics. As the labs are purpose-built and the analysis is centralized in the state-of-the-art facilities, it is still the most efficient way of testing more serious ailments.

Data from POCT ODMs reveals that a few years ago, a trend was noticed in the decentralization of diagnostic analysis where healthcare professionals started using POCT at patients’ bedside. This modern approach was being appreciated due to the minimal procedures and portable size of the instruments. It also found use in operating theatres, accident sites, and outpatient clinics.

Will Poct See Wider Adoption?

Even the biggest POCT ODMs would agree that laboratory analysis is, and will remain for a long time, a huge part of patient diagnostics, providing accurate diagnostics and proper drug monitoring. It is vital to differential diagnosis generally, and it will take some time before POCT can gain an equal share of responsibility in general healthcare practices.

However, the future looks promising for POCT ODMs. Current POCT analytical devices can process entire blood samples without needing additional laboratory tests. These instruments can be used by the untrained staff as well and clearly reduce the turnaround time to quicken therapeutic decisions.

As the technology progresses and miniaturization techniques become more widely accepted, POCT will find a way into way more applications than it currently is being used for.

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