Essay Paper: Point Of Care Testing In The Emergency Department
PICO Paper: Point of Care Testing in the Emergency Department
America’s emergency departments (ED’s) are experiencing a crisis related to overcrowding and long wait times. Thus forcing these departments to function beyond their intended capacity and posing a threat to patient care safety and efficiency. One method of increasing patient flow and improving speed of diagnosis is the introduction of point-of-care technology (POCT). The first documented utilization of POCT is found in an Egyptian papyrus from 1550 B.C. depicting physicians utilizing ants to detect glycosuria in patients they suspected of having diabetes, (Dubois, 2013). Since it’s notable growth in the 1980’s, POCT has migrated from the standard centralized laboratory to the bedside, (Dubois, 2013). When used appropriately, POCT may help to decrease wait times to diagnosis and alleviate the problem of overcrowding in the ED’s, (Rooney & Schilling, 2014).
PICO Question
The question this paper will address is as follows. Is there a notable reduction in length of stay for ED …show more content…
John & Price, 2014). Although there has been concerns over the validity of POCT, recent studies have demonstrated that POCT is accurate, and can quickly analyze blood samples at the bedside without the time required for transporting and analyzing the sample in a conventional laboratory setting, (Auvet et al., 2016). Patients enduring long waits who may be critically ill will directly benefit from this bedside technology. With the introduction of Point-of-care testing (POCT) nurses and clinicians receive results up to 46 minutes earlier than conventional laboratory testing, (Rooney & Schilling, 2014). The use of hand-held digital based read out testing devices ensure precise results that are nearly as accurate as conventional laboratory testing, (Murray,
America’s emergency departments (ED’s) are experiencing a crisis related to overcrowding and long wait times. Thus forcing these departments to function beyond their intended capacity and posing a threat to patient care safety and efficiency. One method of increasing patient flow and improving speed of diagnosis is the introduction of point-of-care technology (POCT). The first documented utilization of POCT is found in an Egyptian papyrus from 1550 B.C. depicting physicians utilizing ants to detect glycosuria in patients they suspected of having diabetes, (Dubois, 2013). Since it’s notable growth in the 1980’s, POCT has migrated from the standard centralized laboratory to the bedside, (Dubois, 2013). When used appropriately, POCT may help to decrease wait times to diagnosis and alleviate the problem of overcrowding in the ED’s, (Rooney & Schilling, 2014).
PICO Question
The question this paper will address is as follows. Is there a notable reduction in length of stay for ED …show more content…
John & Price, 2014). Although there has been concerns over the validity of POCT, recent studies have demonstrated that POCT is accurate, and can quickly analyze blood samples at the bedside without the time required for transporting and analyzing the sample in a conventional laboratory setting, (Auvet et al., 2016). Patients enduring long waits who may be critically ill will directly benefit from this bedside technology. With the introduction of Point-of-care testing (POCT) nurses and clinicians receive results up to 46 minutes earlier than conventional laboratory testing, (Rooney & Schilling, 2014). The use of hand-held digital based read out testing devices ensure precise results that are nearly as accurate as conventional laboratory testing, (Murray,