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Established in 1995, an important goal of the POCT·CTR is to educate and inform developers of point-of-care instruments and health care professionals about how to optimize clinical use of point-of-care testing (POCT), including in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo systems. Clinicians and other practitioners should be aware of the clinical efficacy of these instruments in critical care and other settings so that diagnostic data are interpreted correctly and measurement errors introduced by exogenous or endogenous factors do not mislead therapeutic decisions. The investigative efforts of the POCT·CTR also are designed to help improve the future performance of POCT.

The POCT·CTR conducts both basic science and clinical research and coordinates national multicenter studies. The goals of this research are (a) to explore new POCT methods, (b) to perform investigative studies, and (c) to evaluate and assess medical and economic outcomes. These studies also encompass accuracy, precision, and errors.

The POCT·CTR has conducted extensive work with whole-blood glucose testing using the latest monitoring devices and is interested in evaluating and exploring new technologies for testing of important physiological indicators in diagnosis and treatment. Vital functions and POC tests include perfusion (lactate), biomarkers of cardiac injury (cardiac troponin I/T, myoglobin, and CK-MB mass), conduction and contraction (potassium, sodium, and ionized calcium), acid-base (pCO2, pH, bicarbonate, and CO2 content), hemostasis (PT and aPTT), molecular markers, and test clusters for the immediate diagnosis of sepsis.

The POCT·CTR also investigates new approaches, such as non-invasive glucose monitoring, clinical algorithms, and Knowledge Optimization® in medicine. We are conducting national surveys of critical limits (critical values, life-threatening test results) as part of a long-term study of critical medical information. POCT·CTR projects cover several types of tests and testing platforms, such as handheld, portable, and transportable systems. The findings from these studies are published in peer-reviewed journals linked on our web page. Principles and Practice of Point-of-Care Testing (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins), edited by Dr. Kost, provides comprehensive information for both teaching and research.