With people’s increasing concern for their own health and the development of medical technology, various household medical devices are becoming more and more popular nowadays, such as blood glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, blood oxygen meters, and fetal heart rate monitors, enabling us to easily monitor our health at home and promptly understand our physical conditions. When it comes to home medical devices, we cannot fail to mention a concept – POCT.
01 What is POCT?
POCT (Point-of-Care Testing), also known as point-of-care testing or nearby patient testing, refers to a testing technology conducted at the patient’s doorstep. It does not require a fixed testing site and can be carried out outside the laboratory. It is mainly suitable for some experiments that are simple to operate, convenient to use, provide quick results, and require miniaturized equipment. For instance, measuring blood sugar at home with a portable blood glucose meter is a form of “POCT”.
In short, POCT is about bringing the testing site right to your doorstep. When undergoing certain project tests, you no longer need to queue up or wait at the laboratory. You can get the results in just a few minutes.
02 Characteristics of POCT
✔ Fast: The test results can usually be obtained within a few minutes.
✔ Easy and convenient to use: The instrument is easy to operate and the results are quick and convenient. POCT is not restricted by time or location, and can provide real-time result reports 24 hours a day.
✔ Save overall costs: Eliminate the time and energy spent traveling to and from the hospital and queuing. The application of POCT can also reduce the occupation of medical resources, the length of hospital stay for patients, sampling time and the operation time of medical staff, etc.
03 What are the differences between home and medical POCT?
POCT can be divided into home POCT and medical POCT. The former is operated by patients themselves, while the latter is carried out by professional medical personnel.
① Home-use POCT
Take blood glucose meters as an example. Besides many diabetic patients, some people who are on a diet or working out also bring their own home blood glucose meters to understand their blood sugar conditions. Compared with traditional hospital tests, home POCT testing is conducted in a home environment, which is more convenient and personalized.
② Medical POCT
Medical POCT is operated by professional medical personnel, so quality supervision is of Paramount importance. Hospitals will establish a dedicated POCT management system. In accordance with relevant regulations, they will supervise and standardize POCT operators, quality control procedures, influencing factors of results, specimen collection, instrument operation, result analysis, instrument calibration, maintenance and upkeep, etc. They will conduct a national inter-laboratory quality assessment and laboratory comparison once a year.
04 How can the accuracy of home POCT be guaranteed?
It is true that POCT testing has been widely applied in our daily lives, but there are still doubts: How can we determine the accuracy of the test results when using these home medical devices?
For instance, many patients who come to the outpatient department will compare their portable blood glucose meters at home with the blood glucose results from the hospital, worrying about the differences between the two. However, in fact, there are certain differences between the two.
It should be noted that rapid blood glucose tests measure the blood glucose in the capillaries at the extremities of the fingers, while blood tests in hospitals measure venous plasma or serum glucose. There are inherent differences in glucose concentrations between two parts and among different specimen types.
In addition, the detection methods adopted by the two are different. Portable glucose meters for home use can be roughly divided into electrochemical and photochemical methods, while large biochemical meters in hospitals generally use hexokinase or glucose oxidase methods. Different methods will lead to different test results.
Furthermore, even if the results are measured in the same part by the same method, there will still be slight measurement errors. As long as the difference between the two test results is within ±15%, the result is considered acceptable.
Rather than getting bogged down in the differences in accuracy between home and medical use, it is more meaningful to learn how to maintain home POCT devices on a daily basis. To enable home POCT devices to better leverage their advantages, the following points should be noted:
05 Management of Home POCT
First of all, we need to choose products and instruments that are reliable in quality and easy to operate. When making a purchase, please choose a reliable brand and purchasing channel.
Secondly, one should learn to use and maintain the instruments correctly. Read the instruction manual carefully and operate as required. Those who have the conditions can purchase quality control solutions to monitor the quality status of the instruments on a daily basis. Calibrate the instrument regularly to ensure its accuracy.
Secondly, the storage conditions of instruments and reagents are also very important. Instruments and reagents should be placed in a cool and dry place, avoiding drops and water immersion. In particular, test strips should be protected from moisture.
Finally, if the equipment malfunctions or its performance declines, it should be repaired or replaced in a timely manner.
Making good use of home POCT and regularly monitoring and recording health data can not only help us detect health problems in a timely manner, but also enable us to be more proactive in our own health management, allowing us to scientifically adjust our lifestyle and dietary habits and prevent the occurrence of diseases.
Meanwhile, these monitoring data can also help doctors better understand the condition and formulate more reasonable treatment plans.
Overall, POCT is a promising medical technology that has brought medical science and technology beyond hospital laboratories into clinical departments and right to your doorstep. In the near future, it is believed that POCT technology will enter every household. Perhaps in the future, we will be able to complete a comprehensive health checkup right at home, allowing you to have a health manager by your side anytime and anywhere!
Post time: Dec-16-2025