In one sentence
A Point-of-Care-Test is a rapid test carried out where the person is, with the result available within minutes. It suits screening and orientation, but it does not reach the analytical range or the precision of an accredited laboratory analysis.
A Point-of-Care-Test, often shortened to POCT, is a test performed where the person is rather than in a laboratory, and the result is available within minutes. In a pharmacy that usually means a capillary sample, taken from the fingertip or through a device on the upper arm.
The trade-off is worth stating plainly to a customer, because a Point-of-Care-Test has these properties:
- The test is fast, convenient and needs no laboratory logistics.
- The result is typically qualitative or semi-quantitative rather than an exact figure.
- It covers a narrower range of markers than a laboratory panel does.
- Its precision depends on the device and on how the sample is handled.
An accredited laboratory analysis covers a far wider range of markers with tighter precision, and it takes longer because the sample has to reach the laboratory first.
The venöse Blutentnahme that the ApoVWG newly permits belongs in that second category. It is not a replacement for Point-of-Care-Testing but an addition, because the two answer different questions.
Either way the limit is the same, because a single measured value is not a diagnosis, reference ranges belong to the analysing laboratory and an unusual result belongs with a physician. A pharmacy offering either test as an apothekenübliche Dienstleistung should say so clearly.
This glossary entry is general information about German pharmacy law and practice. It is not legal advice. For binding guidance on your own pharmacy, contact your Landesapothekerkammer.
