Point-of-Care Testing Market Is Growing

The need to diagnose and treat patients immediately is boosting the growth of the point-of-care testing (POCT) market in the United States and elsewhere.

According to a new study by Frost & Sullivan (Palo Alto, CA, USA), an international consulting firm, this market generated revenues of U.S.$1.3 billion in the United States alone in 2005, and is estimated to reach $2.4 billion by 2012.

"Point-of-care testing is becoming the standard of practice for an increasing number of diagnostics in areas such as glucose, blood gas and electrolytes, cholesterol, infectious diseases, and others,” noted Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Kevin Leong. "The speed and convenience of testing at the point-of-care is resulting in rapid medical intervention and improved patient outcomes.”

Immediate diagnosis and treatment increase patient satisfaction, avoid inefficiencies in administrative follow-ups, and minimize delays in treatments that could otherwise result in adverse complications and costly consequences. These benefits make it very attractive for medical professionals to adopt POCT and, in turn, fuel market growth.

However, the majority of diagnostic tests continue to be performed in centralized laboratories due to their long established use in medical practice. Physicians are primarily concerned with patient care, and rely on trained clinicians to perform quality diagnostics in laboratories. There remains a perception that point-of-care testing is inaccurate and inferior to laboratory analyzers.

Market participants need to emphasize the impact of rapid diagnostics for improved patient outcomes. Conducting compelling studies to support the accuracy and clinical utility of POCT will increase the comfort levels of healthcare practitioners with such methods. This also requires that POCT devices be user-friendly, ensuring quicker learning for immediate usage and adoption.



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