Point-of-care testing (POCT), also known as near-patient or "bedside" testing, refers to tests that are performed outside of a central laboratory to facilitate rapid results. Point-of-care hemostasis tests are typically performed to evaluate patientswith active signs of hemorrhage, those likely to undergo surgery, or receiving anticoagulant drugs. The cost and complexity of POCT varies widely, from simple examination of a blood smear to computer-generated real-time tracings depicting kinetics of fibrin formation. All POCT are subject to errors of sample collection, instrument operation, and invalid reference ranges. The clinical utility of POCT depends not only on test performance, but the clinician's ability to select the appropriate test to answer a defined question.
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